The Vaccination Campaign

The Local Vaccination Campaign Total People Fully Vaccinated (two doses of Moderna or Pfizer or one dose of Johnson & Johnson) Massachusetts: 4,624,989 (up 7,971 from Monday) Rhode Island: 714,952 (up 2,215 from Monday) Reported changes from the last issue of this newsletter. View all vaccine news and numbers on Globe.com Top Stories: Vaccinations Massachusetts has started to report the number of COVID-19 booster doses administered. Earlier this week, the Massachusetts State Police union claimed that dozens of troopers are resigning because of the state's vaccine mandate. But a State Police spokesman said only one definitively left the force because of it. Nearly three-quarters of Boston city employees have either submitted proof of their COVID-19 vaccination or are undergoing weekly coronavirus testing. The Amherst Regional School Committee voted this week to require all eligible students to get vaccinated by Dec. 1. The Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union has sued to postpone Governor Charlie Baker's vaccine mandate. Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee emphasized today the importance of frontline workers getting vaccinated. Health care workers who don't get at least one shot by Friday could be at risk of losing their job. Also in Rhode Island, a US District Court judge has denied a request from a group of health care workers who want the state to allow religious exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Eleanor Slater Hospital in Providence plans to let unvaccinated employees work for up to 30 days beyond the vaccination deadline.

 

 

 

 

The Local Impact Massachusetts:  757,849 cases (up 4,314 from Monday)  ·  18,240 deaths (up 72 from Monday)  ·  618 hospitalizations (up 12 from Monday) Rhode Island:  172,361 cases (up 910 from Monday)  ·  2,838 deaths (up 6 from Monday)  ·  120 hospitalizations (down 14 from Monday) 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 State education leaders on Thursday reported 2,054 new cases among public school students and 345 among staff members for the week that ended Wednesday. Earlier this week, state Representative Mindy Domb urged Massachusetts leaders to deploy the National Guard to assist with setting up COVID-19 testing in school districts where implementation has been delayed. Boston's COVID-19 positivity rate is down to 3 percent. The head of Maine's Center for Disease Control and Prevention said the state's rural areas need better access to COVID-19 testing.

 

 

Across the US and Around the World US 392,909,995 vaccinations 43,437,472 cases 696,653 deaths Sources: Johns Hopkins Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Most and Least Vaccinated US States (% of population fully vaccinated) Top Ranked Vermont (69.5%) Connecticut (68.7%) Maine (68.5%) Rhode Island (68.3%) Massachusetts (67.9%) Bottom Ranked West Virginia (40.4%) Wyoming (41.6%) Idaho (41.6%) Alabama (42.6%) Mississippi (43.5%) Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Worldwide  6,223,227,437 vaccinations 233,622,262 cases 4,779,634 deaths Source: Johns Hopkins  Top Stories: US and Worldwide New cases of COVID-19 in the United States this month slowed by a third, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In California, a requirement for health care workers to get vaccinated boosted vaccine rates.

 

 

What's Next Across the country, many school districts are using federal pandemic funds to hire additional staff members or add time to the academic year. But in Boston, much of the money is being spent on air conditioning, air purifiers, and air quality monitors, and critics worry the city isn't focusing on helping students recover from the pandemic. Health care workers who were held up as heroes early in the pandemic are now facing threats. Staffing shortages and supply chain disruptions are creating some challenges for school nutrition directors looking for key food products. Moderna has leased a building under construction in Kendall Square for its new headquarters.