The Vaccination Campaign

The Local Vaccination Campaign Total People Fully Vaccinated (two doses of Moderna or Pfizer or one dose of Johnson & Johnson) Massachusetts: 4,883,161 (up 21,849 from Tuesday) Rhode Island: 767,552 (up 4,424 from Tuesday) Reported changes from the last issue of this newsletter. View all vaccine news and numbers on Globe.com Top Stories: Vaccinations Many Massachusetts communities that reported high rates of COVID-19 cases are seeing low vaccination rates for young children. Massachusetts leaders are looking to make more COVID-19 booster shot appointments available. Beth Israel’s Center for Virology and Vaccine Research has joined a global effort to better understand how American-approved coronavirus vaccines will respond in the face of the Omicron variant. Rhode Island plans to launch a vaccine passport app. Eleanor Slater Hospital in Rhode Island said Wednesday that all staff members are now vaccinated.

 

 

 

 

The Local Impact Massachusetts:  865,450 cases (up 10,008 from Tuesday)  ·  19,047 deaths (up 56 from Tuesday)  ·  989 hospitalizations (up 83 from Tuesday) Rhode Island:  193,714 cases (up 1,951 from Tuesday)  ·  2,939 deaths (up 7 from Tuesday)  ·  170 hospitalizations (up 15 from 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 State education leaders on Thursday reported 8,513 new cases among public school students and 1,396 among staff members for the two-week period that ended Wednesday — a dramatic but expected spike as numbers have risen sharply across the state.

 

 

Across the US and Around the World US 464,445,580 vaccinations 48,808,581 cases 785,531 deaths Sources: Johns Hopkins Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Most and Least Vaccinated US States (% of population fully vaccinated) Top Ranked Vermont (73.1%) Rhode Island (72.8%) Maine (72.5%) Connecticut (72.2%) Massachusetts (71.4%) Bottom Ranked Idaho (45.3%) Wyoming (45.7%) Alabama (46.3%) Mississippi (47.1%) West Virginia (48.9%) Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Worldwide  8,076,540,907 vaccinations 264,082,633 cases 5,233,137 deaths Source: Johns Hopkins  Top Stories: US and Worldwide President Biden on Wednesday extended a requirement for travelers to wear masks on planes, trains, buses, and in transit stations until mid-March. Despite concerns over the spread of Omicron, Dr. Anthony Fauci assured vaccinated Americans on Wednesday night that it's still safe to travel and see family this holiday season. New York today reported its highest number of daily coronavirus cases since January. Antonio Brown and two other NFL players have been suspended for three games for violating the league's COVID-19 protocols. South Africa's new COVID-19 cases nearly doubled in a day this week.

 

 

What's Next The Omicron variant is shifting the vision many of us had for the holiday season and beyond. Here's how some locals are reacting. The new variant has brought uncertainty about what comes next to many long-struggling businesses. If you have a trip planned to the Caribbean this winter, you'll want to check local COVID-19 restrictions first. Global leaders have agreed to negotiate a "pandemic treaty" to help them prevent and fight any future pandemics.