New coronavirus cases in Worcester County smashed records this week, with 4,070 new cases as of Thursday, continuing a distressing post-Thanksgiving trend.
That number and the statewide one 33,446 cases in seven days both blew by previous highs, according to Massachusetts Department of Public Health data. The city of Worcester also set a new single-week record for the city: 1,268 new cases, bringing the tally so far to 11,395. The governor used the term skyrocketing. That is accurate, the city s commissioner of health and human services, Dr. Matilde Castiel, said in a press conference Thursday. We re now seeing a spike from Thanksgiving.
Those spiking numbers have spurred the opening of a field hospital at the DCU Center in Worcester and another one planned in Lowell, as well as business operations restrictions meant to more sharply limit how many people can gather in one place.
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As part of Beth Israel Lahey Health, Winchester Hospital is preparing to receive its first shipment of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine as early as this week.
According to Kathy Schuler, incident commander for Winchester Hospital and its COO and chief nursing officer, the multi-disciplinary Beth Israel Lahey Health Vaccine Command Team has developed a coordinated, systematic plan and a consistent set of criteria for administrating the vaccine to its staff and ultimately, it patients over the next several months. Based on guidance we received from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, we are prioritizing administration of the vaccine to patient-facing caregivers and staff who are at the greatest risk of exposure to patients with COVID-19 based on their work location and the patients they support, she said in a statement.
By Lightning
Dec 10, 2020
According to Mass.gov and their COVID distribution timeline that can be found HERE, prisoners or individuals in concrete care settings will be some of the first in line in Phase 1 to receive a COVID vaccine. They come before adults 65+ as well as individuals with at least 2 comorbidities or high risk pre-existing conditions. Prisoners also come before grocery store workers, K-12 students, transit workers, early education workers, utility workers, as well as the general public. Who came up with distribution plan? The Baker-Polito Administration, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and the Massachusetts Vaccine Advisory Group all coordinated to come up with what they believe is a solid distribution plan. This is their phased plan for distribution here in Massachusetts.where do you fall?