Pine Plains, NY, with a population of about 1,500 located 100 miles due north of New York City could have been easily overlooked in the data and statistics about COVID-19. But it has its own story to tell.
Our small town of Pine Plains, NY, like many in rural America, has:
An intersection with a traffic light.
A gas station.
A bank branch
A family-owned hardware store
An event hall
A family-owned market
A couple of small inns
A few restaurants
No strip mall,
No big-box anything (not even a Dollar store)
But one thing that makes it special is it still has an independent pharmacy!
Why is a small business pharmacy so special? Because this pharmacist, Nasir Mahmood, made it his business to organize the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. He managed to marshall a supply of vaccines from the NY State distribution chain, recruited qualified community volunteers to administer the shots, and coordinated the facilities. We are not only proud of him, but also immune!
After severl months ” booster” shots became available for certain segments of the population as well as seniors over 65. Nasir chose the cafeteria in the local high school to handle the more than 150 people who signed up for the first session. As you can see neither the enthusiams for the shots nor the community spirit diminished!
Just in time for the holidays, the FDA approved a vaccine for younger children and again Nasir mobilized his corps of volunteers and in one afternoon provided 300 vaccinations for children and the rest of rhe community.
It all began –and still continues — with testing at the Pine Plains Pharmacy with curbside service to get a Rapid Antigen test and the results in 15 minutes.
This film shows the BinaxNOW Rapid Antigen test available from Abbott Laboratories — what it’s like to take it, administer it, and get the results in 15 minutes. This test is best at picking up contagion: not just whether or not you have it (diagnosis) but whether or not you can spread it to others (contagion).
If you would like to schedule a test at Pine Plains Pharmacy, click this link provided as a courtesy by the pharmacy.