Wednesday June 2 COVID-19 Updates

Dear all,

 

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

 

State Updates

 

Market Basket Vaccine Clinics

Today, the Governor announced a vaccination partnership with Market Basket. Vaccine clinics set up in the parking lots of 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

 

Nationwide and Federal Updates

 

Biden Announces National Month of Action to Promote Vaccination

President Joe Biden announced today that June will be a National Month of Action to mobilize national organizations, local leaders, community- and faith-based partners, businesses, celebrities, colleges, and volunteers to work together to get their communities vaccinated. The Biden Administration is also taking actions to make it easier for people to get vaccinated, including free child care for individuals getting vaccinated and extended hours at pharmacies. Read more at https://bit.ly/3uKpuUv

 

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

 

Governor Baker Press Conference Updates

 

Baker Announces Market Basket Pop-Up Vaccination Clinics

Governor Baker held a press conference today at the Chelsea Market Basket to announce a series of pop-up vaccination clinics in June in the parking lots of five Massachusetts Market Baskets. You can watch the Governor's latest updates here.

 

MA Vaccination Updates

 

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, May 27, 2021:

 

Residents who have received at least 1 dose: 77,005

Fully Vaccinated Residents: 63,434

 

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 Wednesday, June 2, 2021:

 

Total doses administered: 7,891,577

Total cumulative doses shipped to MA: 9,232,890

 

 

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.

 

Today’s Case Count

 

Massachusetts

Total Cases: 661,394

New Cases: 100

Total Deaths: 17,523

Tests: 24,906

 

Cambridge

Total Cases: 6,260

New Cases: 5

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

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