MASSACHUSETTS IS MOVING into the very top tier of states doing testing for COVID-19.
As of Sunday evening, the state had conducted 39,066 tests, placing it fifth among the states in terms of total tests and third in tests per million people, behind only New York and Washington.
Massachusetts conducted 4,017 tests between Saturday and Sunday, above the Baker administration’s goal to do at least 3,500 tests a day. If the state averages 3,500 tests a day over the next week, it would reach 63,566 total tests by next Sunday and 9,111 tests per million people.
South Korea is included in the chart at right because many analysts view it as the gold standard in terms of testing for COVID-19.
Two great YouTube videos to watchMassachusetts conducted 4,017 tests between Saturday and Sunday, above the Baker administration’s goal to do at least 3,500 tests a day. If the state averages 3,500 tests a day over the next week, it would reach 63,566 total tests by next Sunday and 9,111 tests per million people.
One video, which is bouncing all over the internet, is a fascinating virtual rendition of young artists and musicians, many of them students at colleges in the Boston area, performing the song What the World Needs Now.
The other is a far more serious but very enlightening interview with Kim Woo-Ju, a professor of infectious diseases at Korea University College of Medicine. His words carry a lot of weight because he has been on the medical frontlines in a country that is widely regarded as one of the most successful in combatting COVID-19.
One of his biggest recommendations is for people to wear masks when they go out. He said he found quite odd the recommendations of the US Surgeon General and the World Health Organization not to wear masks. He thinks the US Surgeon General’s recommendation was mostly designed to discourage hoarding by regular Americans so medical staff would not run out.
“One of the reasons South Korea has such a low rate of infection is because everyone is wearing a mask and washing their hands,” he said.
Mass. solicits help in COVID-19 fight
State House News Service
To try to make sure people on the front lines of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic get the protective equipment they need, Massachusetts has set up an online portal that individuals and companies can use to donate or sell things like gloves, masks, gowns, hand sanitizer, and disinfectant wipes.
The state’s request for gear and a corresponding call for health care professionals to volunteer to assist the state response to the pandemic comes while at least 4,257 people in Massachusetts are battling COVID-19. As of Saturday, 44 people in the Bay State have died of the respiratory disease.
The state’s new COVID-19 PPE Procurement and Donation Program will streamline procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) and allow the state to better ensure that the gear in short supply gets into the hands of the people who need it the most, Gov. Charlie Baker said.
“We also need more volunteers to help support our response to this unprecedented public health emergency, and urge people to sign up to lend a hand,” the governor said. “Our administration will continue making every effort to secure supplies from all possible resources to support our front line workers during these tough times.”
The list of items the state is seeking includes N95 or N99 masks, facemasks with built-in shields, surgical masks, powered air-purifying respirators, goggles, gloves, gowns, booties, head covers, sanitizing wipes and hand sanitizer. All the items have been in short supply around the world as the coronavirus sweeps across continents.
Feds approve disaster declaration
The federal government approved Massachusetts’ request for a major disaster declaration due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The White House and FEMA announced the approval Saturday.
Meet the Author
Editor, CommonWealth
About Bruce Mohl
Bruce Mohl is the editor of CommonWealth magazine. Bruce came to CommonWealth from the Boston Globe, where he spent nearly 30 years in a wide variety of positions covering business and politics. He covered the Massachusetts State House and served as the Globe’s State House bureau chief in the late 1980s. He also reported for the Globe’s Spotlight Team, winning a Loeb award in 1992 for coverage of conflicts of interest in the state’s pension system. He served as the Globe’s political editor in 1994 and went on to cover consumer issues for the newspaper. At CommonWealth, Bruce helped launch the magazine’s website and has written about a wide range of issues with a special focus on politics, tax policy, energy, and gambling. Bruce is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He lives in Dorchester.
About Bruce Mohl
Bruce Mohl is the editor of CommonWealth magazine. Bruce came to CommonWealth from the Boston Globe, where he spent nearly 30 years in a wide variety of positions covering business and politics. He covered the Massachusetts State House and served as the Globe’s State House bureau chief in the late 1980s. He also reported for the Globe’s Spotlight Team, winning a Loeb award in 1992 for coverage of conflicts of interest in the state’s pension system. He served as the Globe’s political editor in 1994 and went on to cover consumer issues for the newspaper. At CommonWealth, Bruce helped launch the magazine’s website and has written about a wide range of issues with a special focus on politics, tax policy, energy, and gambling. Bruce is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He lives in Dorchester.
Meet the Author
Reporter, CommonWealth
About Shira Schoenberg
Shira Schoenberg is a reporter at CommonWealth magazine. Shira previously worked for more than seven years at the Springfield Republican/MassLive.com where she covered state politics and elections, covering topics as diverse as the launch of the legal marijuana industry, problems with the state's foster care system and the elections of U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Gov. Charlie Baker. Shira won the Massachusetts Bar Association's 2018 award for Excellence in Legal Journalism and has had several stories win awards from the New England Newspaper and Press Association. Shira covered the 2012 New Hampshire presidential primary for the Boston Globe. Before that, she worked for the Concord (N.H.) Monitor, where she wrote about state government, City Hall and Barack Obama's 2008 New Hampshire primary campaign. Shira holds a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.
About Shira Schoenberg
Shira Schoenberg is a reporter at CommonWealth magazine. Shira previously worked for more than seven years at the Springfield Republican/MassLive.com where she covered state politics and elections, covering topics as diverse as the launch of the legal marijuana industry, problems with the state's foster care system and the elections of U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Gov. Charlie Baker. Shira won the Massachusetts Bar Association's 2018 award for Excellence in Legal Journalism and has had several stories win awards from the New England Newspaper and Press Association. Shira covered the 2012 New Hampshire presidential primary for the Boston Globe. Before that, she worked for the Concord (N.H.) Monitor, where she wrote about state government, City Hall and Barack Obama's 2008 New Hampshire primary campaign. Shira holds a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.
Under the declaration, state agencies, local governments, and some nonprofits will be eligible for reimbursement for 75 percent of their costs for certain expenses related to the pandemic. This includes things like establishing beds for homeless people who need to be isolated or quarantined, paying for personal protective equipment for first responders, disinfecting public facilities, or purchasing specialized medical equipment.
There will also be money provided for the Department of Mental Health to provide crisis counseling for individuals and families.
