Health

By Colin A. Young State House News Service Following the Thursday morning failure of the state’s vaccine appointment website as 1 million more people became eligible to get themselves protected against the deadly coronavirus, Gov. Charlie Baker took to the airwaves to pledge that the issue would be fixed. “My …

By Chris Lisinski State House News Service With the state’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout still early in its second phase, Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday urged residents to seek the immunization when it is their turn even if they previously contracted the virus. Baker, who faced sharp criticism Thursday from Cape …

Chris Lisinski State House News Service Wearing a second cloth mask on top of a medical face mask or knotting a medical mask’s ear loops can offer significant additional protection against COVID-19, according to research the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published Wednesday. Wearing a medical mask without …

By Matt Murphy State House News Service In an effort to make the COVID-19 vaccine more accessible to residents 75 and older, the Baker administration plans to begin this week allowing anyone who accompanies an eligible senior to one of the state’s mass vaccination sites to receive a shot themselves. …

Today, the Baker-Polito Administration announced two new mass vaccination sites will open in Natick and Dartmouth. 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 …

Matt Murphy State House News Service As frustration with the state’s vaccination efforts grows, Gov. Charlie Baker detailed plans to Monday to have 103 public vaccination sites open by the end of the week with an online map and registration portal ready for eligible residents to make appointments. Baker also …

Colin A. Young State House News Service Residents who need to buy health insurance will now have until March 23 to get coverage through the Massachusetts Health Connector’s open enrollment period, the Connector announced Friday. Open enrollment was originally scheduled to end Saturday and the Connector said the two-month extension …

Chris Lisinski State House News Service Massachusetts public health officials on Thursday reported the highest one-day total of newly confirmed COVID-19 infections since the pandemic began, though the rolling average positive test rate declined slightly. The 7,136 cases in Thursday’s update lagged only the number of new infections in Dec. …

Governor Charlie Baker today signed the Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) budget into law, a $45.9 billion plan that protects core government services amidst the COVID-19 pandemic while making substantial investments in economic development and education. This financially responsible budget does not rely on new taxes and maintains significant financial reserves …

Michael P. Norton State House News Service More than a third of Massachusetts adults would be unlikely to get the vaccine for COVID-19, according to new poll results, with adults who feel that way citing a lack of trust in the approval process and concerns about side effects. The Western …