COVID-19 update: State s death toll passes 11,100 gloucestertimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gloucestertimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
It’s often said that the opioid crisis hurts every community, and in Massachusetts, only a few towns can report they are without an overdose death this century. All have fewer than 2,000 residents.
Yet the epidemic has preyed on some cities and towns with a special vengeance. A new analysis by The Enterprise offers a dynamic picture of where the use of painkillers, heroin and fentanyl has claimed lives in Massachusetts since the year 2000.
Like so many health crises, the epidemic has hit hardest in poorer communities, though that simplification cannot explain the intricacies of the epidemic’s geography. Income alone does not explain what drives a person to use opioids, nor does it explain why Fall River and New Bedford have led the state in overdose deaths per capita for nearly 20 years, while Chelsea, a marginally poorer community, has hovered near the statewide average.
UpdatedWed, Dec 16, 2020 at 2:39 pm ET
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Some Beverly Hospital staff could receive the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine as soon as Wednesday, according to Beth Israel Lahey Health. (Shutterstock)
BEVERLY, MA The first coronavirus vaccine could be available to front line staff at Beverly Hospital as early as Wednesday, according to Beth Israel Lahey Health.
The health care system that runs Beverly Hospital said in a statement to Patch it expects to receive the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in the next day or two and is planning to begin staff vaccinations the next day. A multi-disciplinary BILH Vaccine Command Team has developed a highly coordinated, systematic plan and a consistent set of criteria for administrating the vaccine to our staff and ultimately, our patients over the next several months, said Richard Nesto, Chief Medical Officer and Incident Commander, Beth Israel Lahey Health. This team has been working with our local teams at Beverly and Addison Gilbert Hospitals.
By Julie Manganis Staff Writer Dec 15, 2020
Dec 15, 2020
SALEM â Area hospitals, nursing homes and the Middleton Jail are among the facilities where people will first receive the new COVID-19 vaccine, and administrators are scrambling to implement plans to give shots to dozens of caregivers, patients and prisoners.Â
Addison Gilbert and Beverly hospitals are gearing up, said Dr. Richard Nesto, chief medical officer and incident commander for Beth Israel Lahey Health, which operates Beverly, Addison Gilbert in Gloucester and Lahey hospitals.Â
The hospitals are preparing to receive shipments of the vaccine in the next day or two and will also begin giving the shots on Wednesday.Â
State health officials have released guidance on celebrating the upcoming holidays as cases of COVID-19 rise in the Commonwealth.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is urging residents to follow the guidelines to help keep themselves and others safe from the virus.
The state noted that in-person celebrations should be limited to members of your household only and follow state gathering size limits and workplace safety standards. Health officials have also residents to cancel or postpone travel plans, but if you do choose to travel, comply with the state s travel order requirements.
Mass. DPH also outlined what they believe are lower-risk and higher-risk celebrations and activities.