Acushnet Fire Chief: “4% of Acushnet was found positive for COVID in 1 month. January was brutal.”

“The population of Acushnet is 10,109. This past January 415 residents tested positive for COVID 19. That is 4% of the population, positive, in one month! January was brutal.

Before anyone asks, we don’t know how many were asymptomatic, how many were hospitalized or how many were sick somewhere in between. What we do know is just in the 31 days of this past January 415 of our neighbors got the news we are all trying to avoid, news that upset their lives and worried their families.

To those 415 residents of this town, best wishes from the remaining 9,694 of us who didn’t receive the call.”




Batter up: Fenway ready for mass COVID-19 vaccinations

By Chris Van Buskirk
State House News Service

Hot dogs and pricey beer won’t be on the menu next week when Fenway Park opens up again.

How about a COVID-19 vaccine and a view of the storied field that has seen some of the greatest and worst moments of Red Sox history. Walk down the concourse just inside Gate A at Fenway Park and you’ll see Sammy’s on 3rd, typically a great place to grab a drink during a game.

But people walking near the bar Friday weren’t there to grab something to gulp down before the first inning as they were getting a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

Lisa Ivey of Boston, a personal care attendant and a part of 1199SEIU, got her first shot of the vaccine. She said she feels privileged because “unfortunately there are still a lot of people” waiting.

“I’m really ecstatic to have this opportunity to be here because there are a lot of people who are petrified. And as we stand up, and show that this is really important, so we can put this pandemic to rest,” she told reporters moments after getting a dose. “Everyone needs to be accountable to getting a shot.”

Starting Monday those in the first phase of the state’s distribution plan and people 75 and older can make their way to Fenway to take the first or second step in inoculating themselves against the virus. Appointments are required. Officials involved in the program said they plan to offer 500 doses a day starting Monday with an eventual goal of 1,250 a day.

Fenway is the state’s second large-scale vaccination site alongside Gillette Stadium, both operated by CIC Health. Gov. Charlie Baker announced that Gillette Stadium would serve as the state’s first mass vaccination site just over two weeks ago and it started serving first responders last week.

The opening of mass sites comes as people have reported frustration and confusion with scheduling an appointment. Gov. Charlie Baker urged patience as he said the state planned to add more availability and launch a call center to help the scheduling process.

CIC Health Chief Operations Officer Rachel Wilson said people will be able to move through the vaccination process at Fenway in about 45 minutes to an hour.

“This is the second mass vaccination site that we’ve opened,” she said. “And through that process, we’ve understood what it will take to avoid queues. And we believe that our workflows are such that and our space availability indoors is such that people will not have to wait outdoors.”

Even if it snows, the site plans to stay open and honor appointments. If the weather is so bad that road conditions are unsafe and transit to Fenway becomes dangerous, officials said they will “proactively notify individuals to cancel their appointments” and will help reschedule them.

The Fenway site plans to operate from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. In a few weeks, hours will expand to 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and include weekend options.

A person scheduled to get a vaccine at Fenway enters through Gate A, proceeds to a signup area complete with a socially distanced area for a line to form. From there, they walk up a rampway, past several concession stands, and into the vaccination area.

A team of workers prepare doses of the vaccine on top of a bar and then gives them to workers who inject them into arms. People who get the vaccine can then walk over to one of the several selfie stations that provide a scenic view of the baseball field — on Friday it was covered in a layer of snow.

Linda Edge, a personal care attendant of 11 years from Quincy, also made her way out to Fenway Park Friday to get a shot. The consumer that she works with has compromised sicknesses and she felt it was important to get inoculated.

“The location here is excellent, used to come here as a kid, but it was much easier for me to come here,” she told reporters.

Sarah McKenna, Red Sox senior vice president for fan services and entertainment, said Fenway has an emotional impact on the region, and doling out vaccines is the park’s greatest responsibility it has had in a long time.

What happens when the Sox play ball in April?

“We’ll make it work. I mean, that’s what we do,” McKenna said.




April still the goal for general public vaccination in Massachusetts

By Chris Lisinski
State House News Service

Although the Baker administration has described the vaccine rollout as “bumpy,” a senior state Department of Public Health official said Wednesday that a target to make doses available to the general public starting in April is still in play.

Kevin Cranston, DPH’s assistant commissioner and director of the department’s bureau of infectious diseases and laboratory sciences, said during a virtual panel discussion that the original timeline unveiled last month remains “reasonable.”

“I do believe that’s reasonable. We’re well along our path,” Cranston replied when asked if the April target for more widespread vaccine availability could still be achieved. “Given the efficiency of the process to date, I actually believe those are reasonable timeframes.”

Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration has faced criticism from public health experts and lawmakers, including Senate President Karen Spilka, that the state’s phased vaccine distribution has been confusing and stuttered.

Through the weekend, Massachusetts had received more than 876,000 doses of the two COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use and administered more than 448,000 first and second doses. The Bay State ranks 28th in doses administered per capita, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Baker defended his approach on Tuesday, arguing that the deliberate plan targeting specific communities and populations was “the right decision out of the gate.”

Vaccinations in Phase 1 are ongoing, and the second phase of eligibility is set to begin next week when vaccines become available to residents 75 and older.

So far, Cranston said Wednesday, Massachusetts is about a third of the way toward completing its Phase 1 vaccination goal. He anticipated the state will finish that first phase target by mid- to late February.

Cambridge Health Alliance CEO Assaad Sayah told the panel that Massachusetts has ample capacity to administer vaccines, particularly because the range of health care workers who can do so includes pharmacists, paramedics and nurses.

“We have enough bandwidth and workforce to be able to deliver the vaccine,” Sayah said. “It’s going to be a matter of logistics, it’s going to be a matter of education, and a matter of having enough vaccine to roll it out.”

On Tuesday, the Biden administration announced it would boost the doses available to states and territories by about 16 percent for the next three weeks, order another 200 million doses, and offer three weeks of “look-ahead” information for availability.

Moderna and Pfizer, the two companies with vaccines approved for use in the United States, are working at “full throttle” to produce doses and meet their contractual obligations, Biotechnology Innovation Organization Vice President of Infectious Diseases and Diagnostics Policy Phyllis Arthur said during Wednesday’s panel.

She forecast that the world will be able to reach a “new normal” in 2021, but that some aspects of life during the pandemic are here to stay.

“We’ll have a new normal in that we’ll all be better about washing our hands and thinking about infectious diseases in a permanent way,” Arthur said. “They’re always around.”

Cranston and Sayah both cited a specific target: 80 percent of Massachusetts residents vaccinated.

“I am hopeful about the 80 percent, but I know it’s a high bar to hit so it’s going to take a lot of effort,” Cranston said.




Dartmouth Police Department updates town regarding vaccination information

“Vaccination Update:

“As you can imagine, there have been several inquiries made regarding vaccination information, and how it applies to the town of Dartmouth.

In an effort to better assist you, we received the following information from the Board of Health:

A vaccination site will occur in Dartmouth, and details will be posted on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week for Phase 2 of the Massachusetts plan.

This clinic is limited to those in Phase 1, and the first category of Phase 2 – people who are 75 years of age or older.

As Dartmouth High School was announced as the location where the clinic will be set up, we ask that you please DO NOT call Dartmouth High School, or any other Dartmouth Public School, for information.

Please DO NOT show up at Dartmouth High School unless you have a scheduled appointment, which will be outside of the operational hours of the school.

The town’s website will be updated next week with the vaccination clinic details.

Residents 75 years of age and older who do not have access to a computer, and who may need assistance accessing the clinic, are encouraged to contact the Dartmouth Council on Aging at 508-999-4717.

PLEASE SHARE!”-Dartmouth Police Department.




Acushnet Fire & EMS Department announces regular schedule of COVID testing

‘We are very pleased to announce a regular schedule of COVID testing beginning this week:

• Fridays (beginning 1/29) from 10am-noon in the parking lot behind the Council on Aging (59 South Main Street) using our trailer.
• Saturdays (beginning 1/30) from 9am-noon at the elementary school gym.

Lab-based PCR tests will be used with results available in 24-36 hours. Testing is free.

This schedule will be used through the end of February and may be delayed or canceled due to possible snow/weather conditions. We will post updates during the week.

“It is our hope that a regular schedule of testing will accommodate the needs of the community. We are committed to testing anyone and everyone in Acushnet so we can get ahead of this virus.”‘-Chief Kevin Gallagher




Governor Baker lifting curfew, stay-at-home advisory on Monday

By Colin A. Young
State House News Service

Citing improvements to COVID-19 metrics since the start of the year, Gov. Charlie Baker announced Thursday that he will lift the 9:30 p.m. curfew that he imposed in November on restaurants and other businesses, effective Monday.

The post-December holiday season spike in COVID-19 activity was not as severe as the surge that followed Thanksgiving, the governor said, and the 30 percent drop in the positivity rate, 30 percent drop in new cases and 10 percent drop in hospitalizations that have materialized since Jan. 1 suggest it is time to begin easing up on some restrictions.

“These have been long and hard days for everybody, but our hospital system was able to continue to provide medical care for residents. And today, three weeks into 2021, our public health data is trending in a better direction for some categories like hospitalizations and the percent of positive COVID cases for the first time in a long time,” Baker said. He added, “Vaccines are reaching residents, positive case rates and hospitalizations have stabilized; those trends are moving in the right direction. As a result, we believe it’s OK and it’s time to start a gradual easing of some of the restrictions we put in place in the fall.”

Though cases, hospitalizations and the positivity rate have all improved since the start of the new year, each category is still significantly worse off than when Baker first imposed the 9:30 p.m. curfew and other restrictions effective Nov. 6.

The seven-day average number of new cases was 1,709 as of Nov. 6, it was 3,017.3 as of Tuesday, according to the Department of Public Health. The seven-day average number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients was 491.1 as of Nov. 6 and was 2,202.8 as of Tuesday. The seven-day average positive test rate was 2.6 percent on Nov. 6 and was 5.86 percent as of Tuesday. Baker did not mention deaths, but the seven-day average number of COVID-19 deaths has climbed from 19.7 on Nov. 6 to 59 as of Monday, DPH said.

The governor will also lift the state’s stay-at-home advisory effective Monday at 5 a.m., he said.

“While today’s announcement reflects another step toward normalcy, we still have a lot of work ahead of us to suppress the pandemic once and for all and to fully reopen our economy,” Baker said.

While restaurants, health clubs, casinos, movie theaters, and other businesses will be able to stay open later than 9:30 p.m. next week, they will still not be allowed to fill their places of business to greater than 25 percent capacity. Baker announced that restriction, which initially took effect Dec. 26, will remain in place for at least another two weeks, until Feb. 8.

“As hospitals continue to stabilize after the holidays and the average positive case rate declines, we hope to see those trends continue moving forward,” Baker said. “And if they do, we’ll be back to talk about lifting some of the restrictions that are currently in place as soon as it makes sense to do so, so that people can get back to work and back to normal over the coming months.”

Baker said he understands the negative business impacts many of his COVID-19 mitigation measures have had on businesses in Massachusetts and on Thursday announced the latest round of funding through the grant program being administered by the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation.

“As our vaccine program continues to ramp up, we know that many businesses will have a tough couple of months in front of them. And this program is meant to help them bridge the gap and put them in a position to stay open until we get back to something like normal,” Baker said.

The governor announced that 638 more grants were being awarded to businesses Thursday, totaling about $37.5 million. So far, the grant program has awarded $232 million to 4,757 businesses across Massachusetts with more to come in the next few weeks, Baker said.




Incoming CDC Director projects “dark weeks ahead”

Katie Lannan
State House News Service

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the Massachusetts General Hospital infections disease physician that President Joe Biden nominated to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a recent interview that she expects the United States will reach 500,000 COVID-19 deaths by mid-February. The death toll surpassed 400,000 on Tuesday.

In a Sunday interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Walensky said she believes the country is still facing “some dark weeks ahead.”

“By the middle of February, we expect half a million deaths in this country,” she said, according to a transcript. “That doesn’t speak to the tens of thousands of people who are living with a yet uncharacterized syndrome after they’ve been recovered — after they’ve recovered. And we still yet haven’t seen the ramifications of what happened from the holiday travel, from holiday gathering in terms of high rates of hospitalizations and the deaths thereafter.”

Walensky said she intends to brief the public “as often as I can, as often as new information comes,” and plans to advocate “to make sure that we have the resources for our public health system so that we can do the surveillance that is necessary for that testing.”




Wareham Police Department mourns loss of retired officer Dennis Damata

The Wareham Police Department regrets to announce the passing of retired police officer Dennis Damata. Dennis died on Tuesday, January 19, from complications of Coronavirus.

Dennis served the Wareham Police Department faithfully from 1985-2010. After his retirement, he continued to serve as special police officer until his illness.

Dennis also served Wareham, in past years, as a member of the Board of Selectmen. His loss is felt deeply among members of the police department, and other public safety agencies that he worked so closely with.

Rest in peace Dennis, from your brothers and sisters at the WPD. Funeral arraignments are incomplete at this time.




New Bedford regional surge care center for COVID-19 opens

Mayor Jon Mitchell announced the reopening of a Southeastern Massachusetts Regional Care Center in New Bedford for those recovering from COVID-19.

The former nursing home facility, located at 4586 Acushnet Avenue, opened Monday, January 18 as a COVID-19 recovery and care center.


City of New Bedford photo.

The facility is operated by Essex Group Management Corporation’s nonprofit Buttonwood Healthcare division, a partnership that began in April with the announcement of the establishment of two regional care centers in New Bedford.

It is one of two such facilities leased by the City. Earlier this year, the City opened the other of the two facilities, located at 1123 Rockdale Avenue; that care center will remain closed at this time. The Acushnet Avenue site has 123 beds, while the Rockdale Avenue site has 107 beds. The care center will be staffed by physicians and advanced practice nurses who are committed to seeing that patients are cared for and treated.

Earlier this month, Mayor Mitchell announced the City’s decision to reopen the facility to assist the region’s healthcare system with the recent surge of COVID-19 patients. The facility will house patients who still require medical care, but do not require hospitalization, to ease the burden on local hospitals.

“The reopening of a surge facility in New Bedford will offer an outlet that supports our region’s busy hospitals during this resurgence of the virus. Thanks to the work of our City facilities crews and our partners at the Essex Group, the opening of the center will ensure that our health care system can continue to attend to patients during the peak of the pandemic,” said Mayor Mitchell.


City of New Bedford photo.




New Bedford Fire Department receives generous donation

“Our staff met up with Mike Reardon from Ocean State Job Lot yesterday to receive a very generous donation of protective masks, hand sanitizer, and sanitizing wipes to be distributed to our first responders.

Keeping our members and community safe is our #1 priority. A special thanks to Mike and to all who made this donation possible!”