Wednesday 2/3 COVID-19 Updates

Dear all,

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

Baker Press Conference Updates

Governor Baker held a press conference at Fenway Park today after touring the mass vaccination site, where CIC Health is helping to vaccinate 500 people a day this week, and will increase its capacity to 1,000 people a day next week and eventually 1,250 people a day. The Governor said that 120,000 new appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations will be made available for next week, including 55,000 at the state's four mass vaccination sites, in addition to about 30 additional pharmacy sites opening next week with 21,000 appointments thanks to the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.

Vaccination Updates

Eighteen CVS pharmacies across Massachusetts, including one in Cambridge, will begin to administer COVID-19 vaccinations to eligible residents on Thursday, February 11, with booking available as of February 9. Specific locations will be announced by that date. Patients must register in advance online or through the CVS Pharmacy app, and people without online access can call CVS customer service. Read more here.

Individuals age 75 and older are eligible for COVID-19 vaccination as of February 1st and can make appointments at mass.gov/COVIDVaccineMap. 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.

Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services (SCES) is also offering free transportation for local older adults to COVID-19 vaccination sites in Cambridge and Somerville. If you are age 75 and up, from Cambridge or Somerville, and you need a ride to your vaccination site, please contact SCES. 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.

As of today, there have been 504,564 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Massachusetts, and there are 2,186 newly reported confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state today. 91,693 tests have been performed today, and 14,415 have passed away. Learn more here. As of today, 4,389 Cambridge residents have tested positive for COVID-19 and 117 residents have passed away, according to the state's database. Learn more here.

The Baker administration has now directed hospitals to administer all doses of vaccine in their supply - if they withhold doses for more than 10 days, they will not receive any further doses. The original plan had hospitals saving enough second doses for patients who would need them. President Biden has encouraged states to use all of their doses and he is promising that the delivery of doses will arrive in time for the second.

Weekly COVID-19 Vaccination Report

The Department of Public Health's Weekly COVID-19 Vaccination Report is updated each Thursday by 5 PM based on information available in the Massachusetts Immunization System. The report includes vaccine distribution numbers by county, as well as age and race/ethnicity breakdowns of those receiving vaccines. Information as of January 28, 2021:

Cumulative doses administered: 496,103
Cumulative Moderna doses shipped to MA: 482,700
Cumulative Pfizer doses shipped to MA: 245,700

You can view the DPH interactive data dashboard here.

Vaccination Timeline

Massachusetts is currently at the beginning of Phase Two of vaccine rollout: the first priority group, individuals aged 75 years or older. Eligible residents can make appointments to receive a vaccine at more than 150 locations across the state including first responder-only sites, mass vaccination sites, regional vaccination sites and participating CVS Health and Walgreens pharmacies. Additional sites will open in more locations on a rolling basis. The map of vaccination sites is here; you can now search by zip code as well.

As the state transitions into Phase Two, the priority groups are:

Individuals 75 or older
Individuals 65 or older or with two or more comorbidities
Early education and K-12 workers, transit, utility, food and agriculture, sanitation and public health workers
Individuals with one comorbidity

Phase Three will expand vaccination efforts to the general public.

For more details and updates on vaccination priorities, please visit https://www.mass.gov/covid-19-vaccine.

COVID Testing Sites

Testing appointments through the City's free mobile-testing program are available at the following locations:

Monday - 50 Church St. 12:00pm - 8:00pm
Tuesday - 50 Church St. 12:00pm - 8:00pm
Wednesday - 2254 Massachusetts Ave, St. John the Evangelist Church, 10:00am - 6:00pm*
Thursday - CambridgeSide in East Cambridge, 11:00am - 7:00pm (Drive-through testing in garage. Enter on First St.)
Friday - 50 Church St. 12:00pm - 8:00pm
Saturday - Christian Life Center located at 85 Bishop Allen Drive. 11:00am - 7:00pm
Sunday - CambridgeSide in East Cambridge, 11:00am - 7:00pm (Drive-through testing in garage. Enter on First St.)

You can schedule an appointment online or by calling 617-665-3795.

Federal Updates

I am grateful to Congresswoman Katherine Clark for providing the following updates:

As of January 25, FEMA obligated $1,415,700,000 in federal support to Massachusetts.
Massachusetts has received PPE from FEMA including nearly 800,000 gloves, over 1.5 million N95 masks and 600 ventilators as of January 28.
FEMA has coordinated with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration to provide over $700,000 through the Crisis Counseling Immediate Services Program for Massachusetts.

State Updates

Youth Employment Opportunity

The Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General has announced the FY2022 Healthy Summer Youth Jobs Grant Program. Applicants may apply for grants to fund jobs for youth with core health and wellness components while also providing opportunities for professional enrichment. The deadline for applications is March 5. To learn more about this opportunity, click here.

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.

Cambridge Updates

Harvard University COVID-19 information, click here.

MIT COVID-19 information, click here.

The City of Cambridge announced that it is extending its rollback to a modified Phase II, Step 2 of the Commonwealth's Reopening Massachusetts Plan for one week and will be returning to Phase III, Step 1 effective on Monday, February 8 at 12:00 AM. Sectors including museums, movie theaters, indoor historic sites and indoor recreational activities will be allowed to reopen at that time. Learn more here.

Cambridge Library Services

Contactless holds pick-up at all library locations will resume the week of February 8. Holds pickup will resume on Monday, February 8 at Central Square Branch and Valente Branch; Tuesday, February 9 at the Main Library; and Wednesday, February 10 at O'Neill Branch. The full schedule of hours and additional details will be posted 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.

February Vacation Activities

The Center for Families is providing a week of fun and free virtual activities for February vacation week, 2/15-2/20. Registration is required. For more information, go to https://letstalkcambridge.org/february-family-fun-week/. To register, call 617-349-6385 or email centerforfamilies@cambridgema.gov.

Daily Table

The Daily Table is a nonprofit community grocer dedicated to providing fresh, tasty, convenient, and nutritious food to communities most in need at prices everyone can afford. The grocer offers 50% off fresh produce for SNAP recipients. Daily Table opened its third location in Central Square, 684 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139. Please spread the word for those who could benefit from this amazing new resource. For more information, click here.

Where to Give

Transition House in Need of Emergency Donations

Make a donation
Order from their wishlist

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