THE COVID-19 situation in Massachusetts showed marked improvement on Tuesday, as the presence of the virus diminished and the vaccination push gained strength. The positive signs seemed to run counter to the narrative playing out in the media and among Massachusetts elected officials over the last week suggesting both the virus and the attempts to […]
COVID-19
Posted inEducation
Everett plan to vaccinate teachers goes awry
TEACHERS HAVE BEEN decrying their low status in the vaccine pecking order for weeks, but Everett decided to do something about it. The local School Committee voted on January 19 to make vaccinations the centerpiece of a plan to transition from remote learning for most students to a hybrid remote/in-person approach in March. The plan, […]
Posted inHealth Care, State House News Service
State vaccine website gets upgrade
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE STATE’S COVID-19 vaccine website now lists available appointments for some locations, part of a new platform the Baker administration launched Friday to smooth the sometimes-challenging process of securing doses. A new appointment-finder hub on mass.gov/covidvaccine lists all public vaccine sites across Massachusetts, searchable by location — much like the existing […]
Posted inUncategorized
Curative at center of vaccine snafus in Danvers, Springfield
OVER 20 LEGISLATORS are questioning Gov. Charlie Baker over the usage of Curative Inc, to manage three mass vaccination sites, citing the company’s short existence and recent snags. “This corporation claims to be a leader in on-demand public health service programs … [that] partners with communities to strengthen public health services with turn-key programs, easy-to-access […]
Posted inHealth Care
Companion ads stir concerns, pushback
“ADULTS 75 yrs and older — Need a ride to your vaccine?” read the headline of the Craigslist ad. The ad was one of many popping up on websites a day after Gov. Charlie Baker announced that 75-year-olds making appointments to get a COVID-19 vaccine could bring along a companion, who could also get inoculated […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
DOC accused of ‘deliberate indifference’ to prisoners
ATTORNEYS FOR for 11 prisoners accused the Massachusetts Department of Correction on Wednesday of deliberate indifference to a provision in the state budget requiring the release of inmates during the pandemic, but state officials said the law isn’t absolute and gives them wide discretion. Superior Court Judge Robert Ullmann heard testimony from both sides on […]
Posted inUncategorized
Virus notes: Crowding at the top of Phase 2
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION is continuing to move people higher in the vaccine line, forcing those down below to wait longer and longer. First it was people between 65 and 74, who got bumped up from the end of Phase 2 to the second spot, joining those with two or more comorbidities just behind the first […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baker again denounces Ismay comments
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Wednesday again denounced comments made last month by his undersecretary for climate change and brushed aside a suggestion that his aide may have been stating the obvious in an impolitic way. Ismay made his comments on a taped Zoom call January 25 held by the Vermont Climate Council – a call […]
Posted inOpinion
Missing the boat on vaccinating the black community
MASSACHUSETTS LEADERS have pledged to address systemic racism. A COVID-19 vaccination strategy that prioritizes heavily impacted black communities is the opportunity to slow the spread of the disease while bringing real meaning to those words. Black and brown Americans have shouldered the burden of the pandemic, with blacks particularly impacted. In undervalued and underpaid jobs, many have […]
Posted inHealth Care
Website developer helps people find vaccination appointments
THANKS TO THE ingenuity of a software developer on maternity leave, the state may be improving its public website for scheduling COVID-19 vaccines. Olivia Adams, 28, developed her own website, which assembles vaccine appointment slots from multiple sources into a single, one-click spot where people 75 and over can sign up to get the shot. […]