The Vaccination Campaign

The Local Vaccination Campaign Total People Fully Vaccinated (two doses of Moderna or Pfizer or one dose of Johnson & Johnson) Massachusetts: 4,861,312 (up 27,799 from Nov. 23) Rhode Island: 763,128 (up 5,986 from Nov. 23) Reported changes from the last issue of this newsletter. View all vaccine news and numbers on Globe.com Top Stories: Vaccinations Governor Charlie Baker said this week that state-issued COVID-19 vaccine certificates could "soon" launch in Massachusetts. The US Supreme Court on Monday declined to block Mass General Brigham from requiring employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19. New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu announced today the locations of 15 one-day vaccine sites for a COVID-19 vaccine “Booster Blitz” on Dec. 11.

 

 

 

 

The Local Impact Massachusetts:  855,442 cases (up 16,448 from Nov. 23)  ·  18,991 deaths (up 94 from Nov. 23)  ·  906 hospitalizations (up 166 from Nov. 23) Rhode Island:  191,763 cases (up 3,628 from Nov. 23)  ·  2,932 deaths (up 19 from Nov. 23)  ·  155 hospitalizations (up 41 from Nov. 23) 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 The local connection: A Harvard-affiliated lab in Botswana was the first to identify the new Omicron variant. The Baker administration announced today three mobile clinics to offer monoclonal antibody treatment to "high-risk" people who have COVID-19 or have been exposed to it. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey sued an Illinois-based company this week for allegedly selling a fake hand sanitizer product to school districts, claiming it can kill COVID-19. Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy was placed in COVID-19 protocol today. Today, Vermont reported a record-high number of COVID-19 hospitalizations.

 

 

Across the US and Around the World US 460,773,508 vaccinations 48,520,789 cases 779,802 deaths Sources: Johns Hopkins Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Most and Least Vaccinated US States (% of population fully vaccinated) Top Ranked Vermont (72.9%) Rhode Island (72.6%) Maine (72.3%) Connecticut (72%) Massachusetts (71.2%) Bottom Ranked West Virginia (41.5%) Idaho (45.2%) Wyoming (45.6%) Alabama (46.2%) Mississippi (46.9%) Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Worldwide  7,989,250,512 vaccinations 262,666,501 cases 5,213,740 deaths Source: Johns Hopkins  Top Stories: US and Worldwide The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strengthened its booster shot language this week in the face of Omicron, recommending that all adults get COVID-19 booster shots.

 

 

What's Next Will Omicron pack the same punch to the economy that Delta did? Economists say it's still too early to tell. Despite the uncertainty, my colleagues Anissa Gardizy and Diti Kohli are here to remind us: It's not a time to panic. Even if the discovery of the new variant is giving you flashbacks to spring 2020, there are many things different in our modern-day pandemic landscape. Back on pause: Some offices that planned to bring workers back after the new year are halting their plans.