Thursday March 4 COVID-19 Updates

Dear all,
I write to you this evening with relevant COVID-19 updates and resources. Thank you for reading these updates. Once again, please be patient with us over the next few days as we work on reformatting the newsletter to ensure that you are getting the most updated and relevant information in the most visually accessible way. We are still juggling a high volume of constituent services and legislative work, so we are doing our best to dedicate more time to the newsletter updates.
Baker Press Conference Updates
Governor Baker announced today that the mass vaccination site at Fenway Park will begin to gradually transfer vaccination operations to the Hynes Convention Center to prepare for Red Sox Opening Day on Thursday, April 1, 2021. The vaccination site at Hynes Convention Center will start operating on Thursday, March 18, 2021, and Fenway Park will stop administering vaccinations on Saturday, March 27, 2021.
The Governor also reminded everyone that starting next week, on Thursday, March 11, 2021, K-12 educators, childcare workers, and K-12 school staff will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. This group is an additional 300,000 to 400,000 people who will be eligible, which means that next week roughly 1 million individuals will be eligible for the vaccine across the Commonwealth.
You can watch the Governor's COVID-19 latest updates here.
Federal Updates
Massachusetts is receiving only one shipment of 58,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine for the month of March 2021. This shipment has been allocated primarily to hospitals and health systems. The Baker Administration does not expect to be able to order more of these doses until the end of March 2021 or early April 2021. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for this vaccine last Saturday, February 27, 2021.
MA Vaccination Updates
There are no updates today.
Resources for Booking and Getting to Your Appointment
  • Online: Go to vaxfinder.mass.gov/, or 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 65+ 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.
  • 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!
Daily COVID-19 Vaccination Report
The Department of Public Health is now publishing a Daily COVID-19 Vaccine Report in addition to its Weekly COVID-19 Vaccination Report. Information as of Thursday, March 4, 2021:
Total doses administered: 1,931,280
Total cumulative doses shipped to MA: 2,399,100
Vaccination Timeline
Massachusetts is currently in the middle of Phase Two 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: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-vaccine-frequently-asked-questions. Questions can be submitted to COVID-19-Vaccine-Plan-MA@mass.gov.
Today’s Case Count
Total Cases: 554,630*
New Cases: 1,410*
Total Deaths: 15,967*
Tests Today: 102,362*
*As of 3/3/21 due to DPH technical issues
Total Cases: 4,918
New Cases: 30
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 Updates
Free Tax Preparation by Just-A-Start
Just-A-Start (JAS) is offering free remote tax preparation for individuals living in the Greater Boston area who make less than $56,000. Limited in-person service will be available by appointment only. Learn more here.
Winter Farmers Market in Central Square
The Central Square Winter Farmers Market is open Mondays from 12 - 4PM from March 1 through April 19, 2021 at 76 Bishop Allen Drive. They accept SNAP, HIP, and P-EBT and offer a $15 SNAP match. Pre-ordering is available. Read more here.
Apply to Be Part of Starlight Square Season Two
The Starlight Square Steering Committee is now accepting applications for its Spring/Summer season. Anyone interested in organizing programming, performances or events can respond to the request for proposals here; applications are due by Sunday, March 21, 2021 at 11:59 PM. Read more here.
Cambridge Public Library Services - Remote Printing Now Available
In keeping with its efforts to bridge the gap in access to technology during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cambridge Public Library is now offering remote printing. Details are available on the library website at www.cambridgema.gov/cpl. For assistance, call 617-349-4040 or email library@cambridgema.gov.
Translation Resources Available
Multilingual city resources and information on COVID-19 are available on the City's multilingual help page.
State Updates
Employment Opportunities for Youth/Young Adults
  • FY2022 Healthy Summer Youth Jobs Grant Program offered by The Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General. The deadline for applications is Friday, March 5, 2021. To learn more about this opportunity, click here.
  • Cambridge Works is an ongoing transitional job program for younger adults (ages 18-35) without a college degree who have had difficulty finding a job. Cambridge residents only. For additional information, click here.
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:
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 Ave, 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

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