Newsday Opinion

The Newsday editorial board asked eligible older Long Islanders for their stories trying to obtain a vaccine --and we got more than 500. This episode captures the voicemails left by seniors about the frustrations and anxiety of searching for unavailable vaccines from Jones Beach to upstate SUNY Potsdam, in Episode 39 of Newsday Opinion’s “Life Under Coronavirus” podcast.

Sandra Lindsay, director of nursing for critical care at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, received the shot heard around the world in December. The Port Washington nurse spoke to Newsday Opinion for Episode 38 of "Life Under Coronavirus" about her newfound celebrity, her expectations for the second shot, and the challenges ahead while the world gets vaccinated.

Long Island COVID-19 ICUs were sites of suffering patients and hard-at-work doctors and nurses this autumn, as hospitals in the region prepared for the coming surge. That included new treatments and methods like proning, turning sedated patients on their stomachs to help them breathe.

Back in the spring, Long Island Rail Road employee Ken Finegan and other Ronkonkoma Rail Yard workers were infected by the coronavirus -- before full precautions were in place to prevent the spread of the disease. Episode 36 of “Life Under Coronavirus” looks at how hard COVID-19 is to trace and how quickly it can spread without strict safeguards, a warning for coming months.

“I'll tell you the truth, being this sick, this is no joke,” says Finegan. “This is the real deal. I've never been this sick before in my life.”

During the height of coronavirus in New York, jails and prisons were struggling to keep the pandemic at bay. In Yaphank, a section of single cells was turned into a quarantine location--but that meant women there already were moved into a shared dorm. Latoya Rolle and Janean Villanueva were among them, and they talked about their experiences for Episode 35 of “Life Under Coronavirus.”

That included berths close enough to sneeze on someone for some time, and a mounting list of limitations to visitors, programs, and movement as the jail tried to keep the virus away. In the spring, they reentered a locked-down world. “When I came home, I expected to do everything that I craved to do,” said Villanueva. “And due to COVID I can’t.”

College is going to look a lot different this fall on Long Island. Episode 34 of “Life Under Coronavirus” is a conversation with Theodore Koukounas, professor of mathematics at Suffolk County Community College, and Angela Jones, associate professor of sociology at Farmingdale State College, about the ins and outs of online classes, remote conversations on dense theoretical subjects, and why childcare means students (and professors) need flexibility during the semester. Most of all, the professors miss their students.

“I'm looking forward to the day that we're all together again,” says Koukounas.

The Bronx Zoo announced this week that it will be reopening at the end of July. But for months, it has been not visitors but just animals and essential workers in the wide green expanse. And some of the animals notice the lack of people, says zoo director Jim Breheny.

Episode 33 of “Life Under Coronavirus” is an interview with Breheny, who has worked at the zoo since age 14. The pandemic was a challenging time for the zoo, which stocked up on food and worked hard to keep workers and animals healthy. It also was home to some interesting sights, like bears and giraffes, and other animals suddenly interested in viewers.

Recovering from COVID-19 can be a slow process. Scott Krakower, a child psychiatrist and addiction specialist at Northwell, tested positive in April, and he’s still not back to work. Episode 32 of “Life Under Coronavirus” is an interview with Krakower, who talks about his battle with the illness, including coughing for nearly two months, dreading the long nights, and the terrible fear that he might get his young kids sick.

Navigating the pandemic on the Nautical Mile in Freeport -- it’s an ongoing process for patrons this summer. For Episode 31 of “Life Under Coronavirus,” Newsday Opinion spent an evening talking to bar-goers and visitors to the popular strip about their excitement to get out of the house and socialize a little. That means masks plus alcohol-filled “rainbows,” a wary eye on the more crowded bars, and the hope that things get more normal soon.

How is the other half living on Long Island’s East End? Lots of canceled events, and lots of eating. For Episode 30 of “Life Under Coronavirus,” we caught up with Joan Hamburg of WABC about what she’s seeing in the Hamptons, from delivery Blue Hill boxes to Sagaponack drive thru rosé.