Thursday June 3 COVID-19 Updates

Dear all,

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

COVID-Related Requirements Lifted for Child Care Settings

The state’s Department of Early Education and Care has lifted its requirements related to COVID-19 and has replaced them with suggestions. Children under 5 no longer have to wear masks either indoors or outdoors, be separated by 3 feet indoors, or remain in separate classrooms with a 10-child cap. Providers are encouraged to keep taking safety measures such as boosting air flow and having unvaccinated people over age 5 wear masks indoors. Read more at https://wbur.fm/3pjK9xn.

Closing Dates for Mass Vaccination Sites

The Baker-Polito Administration has announced its timeline for ramping down mass vaccination sites. The currently planned closing dates at each site are:

Gillette Stadium: June 14
Hynes Convention Center: June 22
Natick Mall: June 23
Reggie Lewis Center: June 27
Doubletree in Danvers: June 30
Eastfield Mall in Springfield: July 6
Former Circuit City in Dartmouth: July 13

These sites continue to be available for walk-in appointments. For information on days and hours of operation, visit www.vaxfinder.mass.gov.

Nationwide and Federal Updates

Biden Outlines Plan to Share 25 Million Vaccine Doses Globally

President Biden has announced a plan to share 25 million COVID-19 vaccine doses globally as part of his goal to share up to 80 million vaccines with the rest of the world by the end of the month. White House officials said that about 19 million doses will be shared with Covax, the World Health Organization-backed initiative to distribute vaccine doses around the globe, while about 6 million doses will go directly to nations experiencing severe outbreaks, including India. Read more at https://wapo.st/3pgb3GH.

AAP Recommends That Kids Keep Wearing Masks

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) website healthychildren.org has a page addressing the question, “Does my unvaccinated child still have to wear a mask when the rest of the family doesn't?” The response is that children and adolescents who are not fully vaccinated for COVID-19 should continue to wear masks when social distancing isn't possible. Vaccinated adults and older children should consider modeling mask-wearing behavior in support. See the whole discussion at https://bit.ly/2RHpwyZ.

Cambridge Updates

Cambridge Offering COVID Testing & Vaccinations 4 Days Per Week

As of June 1, the City of Cambridge is offering free COVID-19 testing 4 days per week on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, with modified hours. The sites will offer testing and vaccinations (single-dose J&J) simultaneously through June. Read more at https://bit.ly/3vkFrlf.

Second Dose Student Vaccine Clinic June 16

The Cambridge Public Health Department and Cambridge Public Schools is holding a dedicated vaccine clinic for CPS students age 12 and older to receive their second dose on Wednesday, June 16, 2021 at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. The clinic will run from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Read more and register at https://www.cpsd.us/vaccine.

MA Vaccination Updates

Market Basket Vaccine Clinics

There will be COVID-19 vaccine clinics set up in the parking lots of Market Basket stores in Chelsea, Fall River, Lawrence, Lynn and Revere on Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week and next week. No appointment is necessary. Anyone who gets a shot at one of these clinics will also receive a $25 Market Basket gift card. See the full clinic schedule here: CIC-health.com/marketbasket.

CHA Offering Walk-In Vaccinations

The Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) is offering walk-in vaccinations at its three sites (176 Somerville Ave. in Somerville, Encore Boston Harbor in Everett and Tufts University in Medford, see https://bit.ly/3eM3TGF for locations and hours). These sites are open to all Massachusetts residents age 12 and older. They encourage people to pre-register here or via MyCHArt (for CHA patients), but walk-ins are welcome. As a reminder, only the Pfizer vaccine is currently approved for use in people under 18 years old, and minors must have a consent form signed by their parent or guardian.

Walk-In Vaccinations Available at Mass Vax Sites & CVS

Massachusetts residents age 12 and over can now get COVID-19 vaccines at all seven mass vaccination sites. People can still make appointments or see walk-in information at vaxfinder.mass.gov. Walk-in appointments are also available at the 389 vaccine-carrying CVS locations across the Commonwealth. Read more here.

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 6 PM. Information as of Thursday, June 3, 2021:

Residents who have received at least 1 dose: 77,975

Fully Vaccinated Residents: 66,037

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 Thursday, June 3, 2021:

Total doses administered: 7,926,423

Total cumulative doses shipped to MA: 9,245,140

Vaccination Appointment Resources

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: Find an appointment or see walk-in availability at vaxfinder.mass.gov/. You can also book directly with a pharmacy at cvs.com or walgreens.com or 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.”
- In-Home Vaccinations: Anyone who is unable to get to a vaccine location can call the Homebound Vaccination Central Intake Line at 833-983-0485 between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM Monday-Friday.

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!

Vaccination Timeline

Massachusetts is currently in Phase Three of the vaccine rollout. Everyone age 12 and older is eligible for a vaccine. For more details and updates on vaccination priorities, please visit mass.gov/CovidVaccine.

COVID-19 Vaccination in MA: Eligibility

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.

Governor 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: 661,635

New Cases: 241

Total Deaths: 17,530

Tests: 55,036

Cambridge

Total Cases: 6,262

New Cases: 2

Total Deaths: 123

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.

June Schedule for Cambridge COVID Testing & Vaccination Sites

Each site will offer both COVID-19 testing and COVID-19 vaccinations simultaneously for the month of June, while supplies last. These sites will only be using the Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine, so you will not need to return for a second shot:

Wednesdays:

- 2254 Massachusetts Ave, St. John the Evangelist Church, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM.
Thursdays:
- CambridgeSide in East Cambridge, 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM. (Drive-through testing by motor vehicle in the garage. Enter on First St. For safety reasons, this site cannot accommodate anyone arriving by bicycle or on foot).
Saturdays:
- 85 Bishop Allen Drive, Christian Life Center (owned and operated by St. Paul’s AME), 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM.
Sundays:
- CambridgeSide in East Cambridge, 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM. (Drive-through testing by motor vehicle in the garage. Enter on First St. For Safety Reasons, this site cannot accommodate anyone arriving by bicycle or on foot).

No identification or Social Security number is required. All sites are wheelchair accessible.

Learn more at https://www.cambridgema.gov/covid19/Testing

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

National Mental Health Resources

Helpline for People Who Abuse

There is a new Helpline for People Who Abuse that launched on April 15, 2021, that came out of CARES ACT funding for COVID-19. The Helpline is currently open to any resident of western Massachusetts, however they plan to expand to more residents within the Commonwealth. This helpline is the first in the nation of its kind, and is based out of Western Massachusetts. You can find more information here.

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