The Biden Administration wants to provide states and territories nationwide with the flexibility needed to expand their vaccination workforce to ensure that every American who wants to be vaccinated can receive their vaccine quickly. States and territories are encouraged to further expand the categories of individuals authorized to administer COVID-19 vaccines in their states or territories, as authorized under the PREP Act.
State Updates
8,000 Unexpected Doses Of Johnson & Johnson COVID Vaccine Coming To MA
The Commonwealth is getting 170,000 first doses of COVID vaccines this week, including 8,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine that weren’t expected to arrive until the end of the month. The 170,000 first doses of COVID vaccines does not include vaccines sent to locations like CVS under the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. For more information, click here.
CVS MinuteClinics Offering Antibody Tests in MA
CVS announced that all CVS MinuteClinics across the Commonwealth are now offering COVID-19 antibody testing, in advance of a national launch on Friday, April 2, 2021. The COVID-19 antibody tests will return results in about 15 minutes and will cost $38. Read more here.
MA Vaccination Updates
Appointment Notifications for Preregistered Residents Coming Soon
Eligible residents who preregistered for a COVID-19 vaccine appointment through the state website will begin receiving appointment notifications this week. Officials expect that it will take several weeks for eligible people to be offered an opportunity to book an appointment.
Resources for Booking and Getting to Your Appointment
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!
The Cambridge Public Library (CPL) Foundation is hosting a Voices for Justice event series to support the CPL's Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion initiatives. This virtual event features New York Times best-selling author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates in conversation with award-winning journalist Callie Crossley of GBH News Boston’s Under the Radar. The event will take place on Tuesday, March 23, 2021 at 7:30 PM on Zoom. For more information and to register, click 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.
Translation Resources Available
Multilingual city resources and information on COVID-19 are available on the City's multilingual help page.
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.
Governor Baker did not hold a press conference today. You can watch the Governor's latest COVID-19 updates 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:
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."
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:
