The Vaccination Campaign

The Local Vaccination Campaign Total People Fully Vaccinated (two doses of Moderna or Pfizer or one dose of Johnson & Johnson) Massachusetts: 4,695,388 (up 17,524 from Thursday) Rhode Island: 729,952 (up 3,595 from Thursday) Reported changes from the last issue of this newsletter. View all vaccine news and numbers on Globe.com Top Stories: Vaccinations Nearly 1,600 executive branch employees in Massachusetts are facing suspension and potential termination after failing to prove they've been vaccinated or apply for an exemption. Thousands of Massachusetts hospital workers are still holding out against getting the coronavirus vaccine, despite the threat of termination if they don't. A group of Mass General Brigham employees has sued the health care system for denying their requests for religious or medical exemptions to getting the coronavirus vaccine. A federal judge denied a request on Friday from the union that represents Massachusetts prison guards to delay Governor Charlie Baker's deadline this past Sunday for executive branch employees to get vaccinated. If you haven't gotten vaccinated against the flu and COVID-19 yet, it's not too late. And you can get them at the same time!

 

 

 

 

The Local Impact Massachusetts: 782,178 cases (up 6,215 from Thursday)  ·  18,474 deaths (up 47 from Thursday)  ·  579 hospitalizations (up 12 from Thursday) Rhode Island: 177,280 cases (up 1,190 from Thursday)  ·  2,867 deaths (up 7 from Thursday)  ·  112 hospitalizations (up 6 from Thursday) 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 plan to decide whether to extend the state's universal mask-wearing mandate in schools beyond Nov. 1 by "early next week." (Meanwhile, some other schools around the country have been lifting their mandates.) The state's current mask mandate allows schools with at least 80 percent of students and staff vaccinated to ask the state for approval to drop the mandate for vaccinated people. But many districts are wary about loosening the mask restrictions, even if they're allowed to.

 

 

Across the US and Around the World US 409,438,987 vaccinations 45,100,461 cases 727,548 deaths Sources: Johns Hopkins Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Most and Least Vaccinated US States (% of population fully vaccinated) Top Ranked Vermont (70.6%) Connecticut (70%) Rhode Island (70%) Maine (69.8%) Massachusetts (69%) Bottom Ranked West Virginia (40.9%) Idaho (43%) Wyoming (43.2%) Alabama (44%) Mississippi (45%) Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Worldwide  6,690,149,968 vaccinations 241,433,334 cases 4,910,991 deaths Source: Johns Hopkins  Top Stories: US and Worldwide A new study from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that Pfizer's vaccine provides strong protection against COVID-19 hospitalizations in 12- to 18-year-olds. California's vaccine mandate for schoolchildren hasn't even gone into effect yet, but the state already has a particularly low number of COVID-19 outbreaks at school. Washington State has fired football coach Nick Rolovich for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19. ESPN reporter Allison Williams has also been fired for refusing to get vaccinated. CNN correspondent John King emphasized the importance of COVID-19 vaccines today, sharing with viewers that he has multiple sclerosis. Cam Newton says he's vaccinated against COVID-19 and ready to return to the NFL. New Zealand reported 94 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, hitting a new high for daily cases.

 

 

What's Next It's getting harder and harder to find a therapist as the pandemic inspires even more people to turn to therapy. A new US travel policy going into effect on Nov. 8 will ban foreign travelers who have received just one dose of a two-shot coronavirus vaccine. "A very small minority" of US Olympians have complained about the coronavirus vaccine requirement to participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics. With the United Kingdom's cases rising, some health experts are pushing for the government to re-impose restrictions. Dropbox CEO Drew Houston said the pandemic has caused "the death of the office as we’ve known it for the last 100 years."