February 10th COVID-19 Update

Today, the Baker administration announced several updates to the distribution process for the COVID-19 vaccine designed to improve access for individuals over 75.

Two new mass vaccination sites will be opening in the next two weeks, located in Natick and Dartmouth. A full list of vaccine distribution sites can be found at mass.gov/covidvaccinemap and additional information on the Natick site can be found below:

Natick Mass Vaccination Site: Scheduled to open on Monday, February 22, at the Natick Mall with LabCorp as the provider. This site will begin administering 500 doses per day, then increasing over the course of several weeks to administering 3,000 doses daily. All eligible residents will be able to use this site. Eligible residents can begin booking appointments for the Natick site on February 18th at mass.gov/covidvaccine.

On Thursday, 74,000 appointments will be posted online for mass vaccination sites and pharmacies at locations statewide. Approximately 30,000 additional appointments will be posted over the course of the week at pharmacies—totaling over 100,000 new appointments this week for mass vaccination sites and pharmacies.

Finally, beginning tomorrow, an individual who is accompanying a person age 75 or older to get the vaccine may schedule their own appointment to be vaccinated on the same day.A caregiver must schedule their own appointment online for the same day and location as the 75 or older resident. Only one caregiver may accompany a 75 or older resident. Mass vaccination locations will make every effort to take both individuals together to minimize wait time, even if the appointment times are not identical. If individuals are unable to use or have difficultly accessing the internet, they may call 2-1-1 for assistance booking both appointments.

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 1,920 new positive cases of COVID-19 in the Commonwealth, with 521,045 total cases and 82 reported deaths.
• The average new cases over the last 7 days is 2,354, and the average number of deaths is 70.
• The 7-day weighted average positive test rate in Massachusetts is 2.8%.
• 100,271 new molecular tests for COVID-19 were reported in the Commonwealth yesterday.
• 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 1/28)

• Hospitalization: 1,358 individuals are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 statewide, a decrease of 43 from yesterday. The 7-day average of hospitalizations is 1,435.
• Hospital Capacity: 15% of the Commonwealth’s non-ICU hospital beds are available for new patients if needed (22% of statewide ICU beds are available). In the MetroWest region, 16% of the region’s non-ICU beds are available for new patients (27% of regional ICU beds are available).
• Long-term care: There are 421 long-term care facilities with at least one case of COVID-19 and 34,286 staff and residents in facilities who have tested positive for COVID-19. 8.291 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.