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COVID-19 pool testing in Mass. schools seen by some as national model Katie Lannan State House News Service BOSTON — In January, when the Baker administration announced a new pooled COVID-19 testing initiative for K-12 schools, Education Secretary James Peyser said technological advances had enabled the state "to take our testing program to the next level." Three months later, with 185 of 400 school districts participating and the state now planning to pick up the tab through the end of this academic year, some of those involved are looking a level beyond, eyeing the Massachusetts program a...

Through the voluntary program that Baker's office has described as a "first-in-the-nation pooled testing initiative," participating schools conduct the screenings of staff and students whose parents have given consent at least once a week. As of March 29, the schools had tested almost 159,000 individuals in 22,679 pools, with a pool positivity rate of 0.76 percent, according to the administration. That same day, the statewide seven-day average positive test rate was 2.57 percent. "It's a very low percentage to come back positive, because keep in mind, if you're sick or you think you might hav...

In January, when the Baker administration announced a new pooled COVID-19 testing initiative for K-12 schools, Education Secretary James Peyser said technological advances had enabled the state "to take our testing program to the next level." Three months later, with 185 of 400 school districts participating and the state now planning to pick up the tab through the end of this academic year, some of those involved are looking a level beyond, eyeing the Massachusetts program as a potential national model. "We've already had other states ask us if we could replicate the program," said Tim Rowe,...

Day of 4 Million Vaccines Signals Sharp Turnaround for U.S. Bloomberg 1 hr ago Carey Goldberg and Jill R. Shah (Bloomberg) -- Landscape architect Scheri Fultineer walked out of the white vaccination tent at Massachusetts General Hospital with a Band-Aid on her shoulder and a feeling of delight at how easy it was. “Earlier in the year,” she said, “I was not optimistic.” In mid-February, just as eligibility expanded to everyone 65 and older, the state’s sign-up website crashed, so infuriating Governor Charlie Baker that he publicly fumed: “My hair’s on fire.” A...

. Landscape architect Scheri Fultineer walked out of the white vaccination tent at Massachusetts General Hospital with a Band-Aid on her shoulder and a feeling of delight at how easy it was. "Earlier in the year," she said, "I was not optimistic." In mid-February, just as eligibility expanded to everyone 65 and older, the state's sign-up website crashed, so infuriating Gov. Charlie Baker, R, that he publicly fumed, "My hair's on fire." Across the U.S., such out-of-the-gate stumbles have been righted and then some. Massachusetts' vaccine effort is moving so quickly that almost 38% of reside...