The Vaccination Campaign

The Local Vaccination Campaign Total People Fully Vaccinated (two doses of Moderna or Pfizer or one dose of Johnson & Johnson) Massachusetts: 4,653,822 (up 7,509 from Tuesday) Rhode Island: 722,159 (up 1,604 from Tuesday) Reported changes from the last issue of this newsletter. View all vaccine news and numbers on Globe.com Top Stories: Vaccinations Massachusetts hospitals are preparing to fire hundreds of employees who have refused to get vaccinated. The Cambridge School Committee approved a vaccine mandate Tuesday night that requires students to be vaccinated to participate in extracurricular activities, school-sponsored social events, or sports. Fewer Rhode Islanders want a COVID-19 vaccine mandate than a few months ago, a new survey has shown. In Maine, four counties still have less than two-thirds of the population vaccinated.

 

 

The Local Impact Massachusetts:  766,883 cases (up 3,024 from Tuesday)  ·  18,342 deaths (up 49 from Tuesday)  ·  571 hospitalizations (down 13 from Tuesday) Rhode Island:  174,171 cases (up 568 from Tuesday)  ·  2,852 deaths (up 7 from Tuesday)  ·  97 hospitalizations (same as Tuesday) Reported increases or decreases from the last issue of this newsletter. Sources: Massachusetts Department of Public Health Rhode Island Department of Health View all COVID-19 news and numbers on Globe.com Top Stories: COVID-19 Impact Massachusetts education leaders on Thursday reported 1,918 new cases among public school students and 330 among staff members for the week that ended Wednesday. Patriots left tackle Isaiah Wynn and starting left guard Mike Onwenu were both placed on the COVID-19 list on Tuesday.

 

 

Across the US and Around the World US 399,552,444 vaccinations 44,129,225 cases 708,994 deaths Sources: Johns Hopkins Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Most and Least Vaccinated US States (% of population fully vaccinated) Top Ranked Vermont (69.8%) Connecticut (69.2%) Rhode Island (69%) Maine (68.9%) Massachusetts (68.3%) Bottom Ranked West Virginia (40.6%) Wyoming (42.2.%) Idaho (42.2%) Alabama (43.2%) Mississippi (44.1%) Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Worldwide  6,392,351,798 vaccinations 236,656,073 cases 4,831,407 deaths Source: Johns Hopkins  Top Stories: US and Worldwide The summer surge of coronavirus in the United States appears to be waning. The White House plans to buy $1 billion worth of rapid, at-home COVID-19 tests to addresses shortages. In the United States, more than 120,000 children have lost a parent or caregiver from COVID-19. On Wednesday, Los Angeles passed one of the strictest vaccine mandates in the country. A study has found that heart damage from COVID-19 can last long after the initial infection. US Senator Lindsey Graham encouraged South Carolina Republicans to get vaccinated — and he got booed. Sydney, Australia, is preparing to ease restrictions after a 107-day lockdown.

 

 

What's Next US health officials are urging people to get their flu shot to avoid a "twindemic." The Massachusetts Senate outlined its priorities this week for a post-pandemic state. There will be a variety of COVID-19 mitigation measures followed at the Boston Marathon on Monday. The World Health Organization wants countries with high vaccination rates to focus more on getting vaccines to lower-income countries. Major League Baseball is finalizing a plan to require minor league players to get vaccinated against COVID-19 for the 2022 season. Moderna plans to build a factory in Africa to produce messenger RNA vaccines, including its COVID-19 vaccine. American Airlines employees will be required to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 24. That leaves Delta as the last major US airline without an employee vaccine mandate.