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Coronavirus Latest: Thousands Now Could Be Eligible For Vaccine Booster Shot

A COVID-19 vaccine being prepared at the New York State drive-thru vaccination site at Plattsburgh International Airport.
Office of N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo

Here’s the latest on the coronavirus outbreak in the region:

Nearly 100,000 Connecticut residents with compromised immune systems could be eligible for a coronavirus vaccine booster shot. That’s under new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More than 70% of Connecticut residents have had at least one shot. Connecticut’s hospitalizations are up —and three quarters of those hospitalized are unvaccinated or of unknown vaccination status. The state positivity rate stabilized just above 3%.

Long Island’s positivity rate dipped slightly to 3.69%, compared to New York’s statewide rate of under 3%.

As back-to-school begins, St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue is the latest to require vaccinations, along with most colleges on Long Island. SUNY schools will require vaccination when the FDA fully approves one of the vaccines.

All of Long Island and Connecticut counties meet the CDC threshold to wear masks in public, regardless of vaccination status.

Cassandra Basler, a former senior editor at WSHU, came to the station by way of Columbia Journalism School in New York City. When she's not reporting on wealth and poverty, she's writing about food and family.