COVID-19: December 16, 2020 Update from Representative Dykema
December 16th COVID-19 Update
This week brought the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Massachusetts, delivered directly to hospitals to maximize the speed with which frontline health care workers can be vaccinated. On Monday, 4 hospitals received 5,850 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, with another 17 hospitals receiving 53,625 doses today.
Beginning the week of December 28th, the COVID-19 Command Center in conjunction with CVS and Walgreens will begin distribution of 40,000-60,000 vaccine doses to residents and staff of the Commonwealth’s nursing homes, which is part of the CDC’s Long-Term Care Pharmacy Partnership program.
Beginning next week, the Command Center will be releasing a vaccine-specific data dashboard, and you can currently find information, updates, and frequently-asked questions at mass.gov/covidvaccine. Additionally, the Federal Trade Commission has released information for consumers on how to recognize and avoid vaccine-related scams, which can be found here. If you have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine not answered online, you can also send an email to covid-19-vaccine-plan-ma@mass.gov.
News Updates
Below is a summary of the most recent efforts to respond to the wide range of needs in our communities. For a summary of previously issued guidance and state restrictions related to the coronavirus epidemic, visit mass.gov/covid19. For previous updates visit carolyndykema.com/covid19.
Coronavirus Testing and Response
- Today, the state saw 5,450 new positive cases of COVID-19 in the Commonwealth, with 292,316 total cases and 71 reported deaths as of today at 4pm.
- The average new cases over the last 7 days is 4,713, and the average number of deaths is 48.
- The 7-day weighted average positive test rate in Massachusetts is 6.0%.
- 124,172 new molecular tests for COVID-19 were reported in the Commonwealth today.
- The Department of Public Health regularly releases a daily reporting dashboard containing detailed information on hospitalizations, demographic data, and county-by-county breakdowns of cases. To view the DPH dashboard, visit here.
Heath Care (as of 12/16)
- Hospitalization: 1,851 individuals are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 statewide, an increase of 17 from yesterday.
- Hospital Capacity: 15% of the Commonwealth’s 9,347 non-ICU hospital beds are available for new patients if needed (27% of statewide ICU beds are available). In the MetroWest region, 13% of the region’s 1,558 non-ICU beds are available for new patients (25% of regional ICU beds are available).
- Long-term care: There are 407 long-term care facilities with at least one case of COVID-19 and 29,136 staff and residents in facilities who have tested positive for COVID-19. 7,072 COVID-19 deaths have been reported in long-term care facilities.
- For information on COVID-19 testing and guidance on whether you should get tested, how to get tested, and where to get tested, visit the COVID-19 testing portal at mass.gov/gettested.
Local and State Resources
Town Resources
All of the towns in the 8th Middlesex District have centralized COVID-19 resource pages with resources, updates, and alerts regarding town services.
Holliston | Hopkinton | Southborough | Westborough
Job/Income Loss Resources
COVID-19 is also causing broad disruption to the economy which is affecting incomes of many residents and families. There are a number of State resources and supports available to support workers who may find themselves unemployed or otherwise income-constrained during this uncertain time.
Guide for job/income loss resources: https://carolyndykema.com/covid19-state-resources
Department of Unemployment Assistance
Department of Transitional Assistance
Statewide Information
Information on the state of emergency and related orders can be found here.
Reopening guidance can be found at mass.gov/reopening.
Information on COVID-19 testing can be found at mass.gov/gettested.
