I write to you this evening with relevant COVID-19 updates and resources. Today marks one year of the COVID-19 State of Emergency in Massachusetts, and nearly a year of our sending out daily COVID-19 updates. I will send a special email on Friday to mark that occasion.
Baker Press Conference Updates
Vaccine Appointment Pre-Registration Coming Soon
Governor Baker announced that tomorrow, Thursday, March 11, 2021, will be the last time Thursday appointments are posted in a large batch. Starting Friday, March 12, 2021, people can pre-register for a vaccination appointment.
This Friday, March 12, 2021, eligible individuals can pre-register for a vaccine at the 7 mass vaccination locations. You'll be contacted with an opportunity to book a vaccine appointment based on availability in your area. However, due to limited supply, it may take several weeks. More locations will be added to the system in April. Learn more here.
Educator-Specific Vaccination Days in March and April
There will be four designated days for teachers, school staff, and childcare providers at the state’s mass vaccination sites on Saturdays 3/27, 4/3, 4/10, and Sunday 4/11. Those who are eligible can sign up for appointments using the pre-registration system when it is launched on Friday.
Distribution of Doses This Week
Governor Baker also announced that the state will receive about 155,000 first doses this week. Total doses this week were divided among providers as follows:
Mass vaccination sites: 83,000
Hospital Providers (both private and public): 79,000
Regional Collaboratives (12 total): 38,000
Community Health Centers: 25,000
Local Boards of Health (to complete 2nd dose appointments and support 20 disproportionately impacted communities): 25,000
For more details on today's announcement, click here.
You can watch the Governor's latest COVID-19 updates here.
State Updates
DPH Survey Finds Widespread Mental Health Impacts Due to the Pandemic
The state Department of Public Health's COVID-19 Community Impact Survey shows that the percentage of the adult respondents who reported poor mental health was three times higher than the 11 percent of adults reporting poor mental health in the 2019 survey. One third of adults reported having fifteen or more poor mental health days. Those who reported that they are caregivers of people with special needs or the parent/guardian of a child with special health needs reported experiencing higher rates of poor mental health.
MA Vaccination Updates
See above for vaccination updates announced in Governor Baker’s press conference today.
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!
Massachusetts is currently in the middle of Phase Two of the vaccine rollout. A reminder that as of tomorrow, Thursday, March 11, 2021, K-12 educators, child care workers, and K-12 school staff will be eligible to schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments. This group of workers will join the current eligible groups.
For more details and updates on vaccination priorities, please visit mass.gov/CovidVaccine.
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.
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.
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:
