Friday April 23 COVID-19 Updates

Dear all,

I write to you this evening with relevant COVID-19 updates and resources.

Town Hall

Vaccines Town Hall Next Thursday, April 29

Please join me, Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders, Dr. Bronwyn MacInnis, Director of the Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program at the Broad Institute in Cambridge, and Dr. Assaad Sayah, CEO of the Cambridge Health Alliance for a Town Hall meeting on Vaccines on Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 5:30 PM. You can register for a Zoom link here. The town hall will also air on CCTV's Channel 9, cctvcambridge.org/channel09, cctvcambridge.org/youtube, and facebook.com/cctvcambridge.

Please send any questions you have on vaccines for the panelists to Marjorie.Decker@mahouse.gov ahead of the panel.

State Updates

New Ads for Vaccine Public Awareness Campaign

The Administration launched new TV ads as part of its $5 million, multilingual “Trust the Facts, Get the Vax” public awareness campaign. These ads will showcase reasons that individuals should consider getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Read more here.

Nationwide and Federal Updates

CDC Declares SARS-CoV-2 Variant B.1.526.1 as a Variant of Interest

The CDC has classified SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.526.1 as a variant of interest. Certain treatments for COVID-19 have been shown to be less effective for this variant. However, the current COVID-19 vaccines are still expected to help reduce the risk of severe illness. Learn more here.

New CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Report

A new CDC MMWR report found that COVID-19-related symptom visits were common 1 to 6 months after diagnosis among adults with COVID-19 who didn’t need a hospital stay. Read more here.

CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Weekly COVID-19 Briefing

The latest MMWR Weekly COVID-19 Briefing is posted and covers multiple reports including how vacant middle seats on airplanes could reduce COVID-19 exposure, hospitalizations among racial and ethnic minority groups, and other topics. Check it out here.

The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) Shares that COVID-19 Continues to Disrupt Essential Health Services in 90% of Countries

W.H.O. shares that 90% of countries surveyed still report one or more disruptions to essential health services one year into the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here.

Cambridge Updates

Cambridge's Chief Public Health Officer to Leave Position

Cambridge's chief public health officer for the last 14 years, Claude-Alix Jacob, will be leaving his position Wednesday, June 30, 2021 to take a new job as director of the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District. Read more here.

New and Affordable Rental Units at the Squirrelwood Project

Applications are being accepted for 17 newly renovated affordable rental units at the Squirrelwood project, which is located in The Port, near Central Square. These applications will be filled through a lottery process. Read more here.

COVID-19 Housing Stabilization Program

The COVID-19 Housing Stabilization Program provides short term financial assistance to individuals and families in Cambridge who are experiencing housing instability. New applicants are encouraged to apply. Learn more here.

Friday, May 7 Deadline for Small Business Grants

An additional $600,000 in grants for Cambridge small businesses is available through the City’s Mayor’s Disaster Relief Fund and the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority. Grant applications will be accepted until Friday, May 7, 2021. Read more here.

Council on Aging Homebound Vaccination Program

The homebound vaccination program is for people who would not otherwise be able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine unless they receive it in their home. It does not include individuals who are temporarily homebound; and/or able to leave the home with adequate assistance; or those who would prefer to get a vaccine in their home. If you meet the definition for homebound, or know someone who does, please call the Cambridge Council on Aging (CoA) at 617-349-6220. Learn more here.

Translation Resources Available

Multilingual city resources and information on COVID-19 are available on the City's multilingual help page.

MA Vaccination Updates

Red Sox Week at the Hynes Continues This Weekend

Red Sox Week at the Hynes will continue until Sunday, April 25, 2021. This special week is reserved for 20,000 first dose vaccination appointments for communities of color. Learn more here.

Vaccine Eligibility Open to All Adults

All Massachusetts residents aged 16 and older are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, people under the age of 18 can only receive the Pfizer vaccine and there are certain steps these individuals should take prior to scheduling their appointment. Learn more here.

Preparing for your Vaccination Appointment

Learn about how you can prepare for your vaccination appointment here.

Resources for Booking and Getting to Your Appointment

Online: Pre-register for mass vaccination sites at vaccinesignup.mass.gov. All state vaccination sites are online at vaxfinder.mass.gov/, or you can book directly with a pharmacy at cvs.com or walgreens.com. You can also visit macovidvaccines.com, which is not an official site but is more user-friendly than the state site.
Phone: Call 2-1-1 between 8:30 AM-8:00 PM Monday-Thursday or 8:30 AM-5:00 PM Friday-Sunday and select the prompt for “help scheduling a vaccine appointment.” This multilingual service is for residents who don’t have Internet access or have trouble using the Internet.
Need help? For detailed information about how to make an appointment, including updates about specific health care providers, see the Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services vaccine resources page. You can also visit macovidvaxhelp.com, which is an unofficial site staffed by volunteers for eligible individuals who are unable to book vaccine appointments on their own.
Need a ride? Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services (SCES) is offering free transportation for local adults aged 60+ to COVID-19 vaccination sites in Cambridge and Somerville as well as Fenway Park and CHA Malden. For more information, click here. To register for a ride, call SCES at 617-628-2601 or email info@eldercare.org.
- All MassHealth members or Health Safety Net patients can get free transportation to COVID-19 vaccine appointments. You can request transportation for a scheduled appointment by calling (800) 841-2900. You may find additional information on transportation help here.
The City of Cambridge has published accessibility information for the state’s mass vaccination sites. You can find it here.

Don’t forget to book your second appointment while you’re getting your first dose!

Cambridge Vaccination Data

The City of Cambridge has added Cambridge Vaccination Data to its COVID-19 Data Center. Data will be updated weekly on Thursdays at 5pm. Information as of Thursday, April 22, 2021:

Residents who have received at least 1 dose: 56,260

Fully Vaccinated Residents: 30,629

Daily COVID-19 Vaccination Report

The Department of Public Health publishes a Daily COVID-19 Vaccine Report in addition to its Weekly COVID-19 Vaccination Report. Information as of Friday, April 23, 2021:

Total doses administered: 5,503,090

Total cumulative doses shipped to MA: 6,522,150

Vaccination Timeline

Massachusetts is currently in Phase Three of the vaccine rollout. For more details and updates on vaccination priorities, please visit mass.gov/CovidVaccine.

FAQs

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has a Frequently Asked Questions site that is continually updated as they receive new questions. You may access the FAQs here. Questions can be submitted to COVID-19-Vaccine-Plan-MA@mass.gov.

Baker Press Conference Updates

Governor Baker did not hold a press conference today. You can watch the Governor's latest updates here.

Today’s Case Count

Massachusetts

Total Cases: 637,928

New Cases: 1,452

Total Deaths: 17,181

Tests Today: 92,155

Cambridge

Total Cases: 6,044

New Cases: 9

Total Deaths: 121

The state has created an interactive dashboard, including the percentage of COVID-19 positive cases and testing rates by city and town. The dashboard can be viewed here.

For Harvard University COVID-19 information, click here. For MIT COVID-19 information, click here.

Cambridge COVID Testing Sites

Mental Health Services and Resources

If you or a loved one are struggling, please know that you are not alone. Here are some great resources:

Cambridge Mental Health Resources

Where to Give

On Fridays, Cambridge CoHousing will be collecting food either in a paper bag or small box for the Chelsea Food Collaborative. Drop off is between 9 AM and 2:30 PM at the entrance to CoHousing at 175 Richdale Avenue, Cambridge, MA. If you don't see someone at the moment you arrive, please leave it just inside the gate where we will have boxes marked "For Chelsea."

Transition House in Need of Emergency Donations:

If you are able to give to others during this time, I encourage you to look to additional places that are working to help those most affected by COVID-19:

I also encourage you to donate to the following organizations that are engaging in racial justice work:

As always, do not hesitate to reach out to me with questions or concerns at Marjorie.Decker@mahouse.gov.

Sincerely,

Marjorie