The Vaccination Campaign

The Local Vaccination Campaign Total People Fully Vaccinated (two doses of Moderna or Pfizer or one dose of Johnson & Johnson) Massachusetts: 5,054,170 (up 6,320 from Tuesday) Rhode Island: 816,907 (up 3,893 from Tuesday) Reported changes from the last issue of this newsletter. View all vaccine news and numbers on Globe.com Top Stories: Vaccinations Business owners have found holes in Boston's proof of vaccination order, which goes in effect at indoor venues on Jan. 15.  The proof of vaccination mandate sparked a racist backlash toward Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. Israel has made plans to roll out fourth vaccine doses for vulnerable residents, but that step is not in the cards for the US right now.

 

 

 

 

The Local Impact Massachusetts:  970,015 cases (up 16,859 from Tuesday)  ·  19,572 deaths (up 80 from Tuesday)  ·  1,632 hospitalizations (up 20 from Tuesday) Rhode Island:  217,228 cases (up 4,513 from Monday)  ·  3,018 deaths (up 20 from Monday)  ·  273 hospitalizations (up 43 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 Several New England colleges are temporarily returning to remote learning in January.  Boston Latin School has recorded 36 positive COVID-19 tests in the past week.  Former Brigham and Women’s epidemiologist Michael Mina is at the forefront of the movement to expand access to rapid tests, which are currently in short supply.

 

 

Across the US and Around the World US 497,832,497 vaccinations 51,720,259 cases 813,708 deaths Sources: Johns Hopkins Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Most and Least Vaccinated US States (% of population fully vaccinated) Top Ranked Vermont (76.9%) Rhode Island (75.9%) Maine (75.5%) Connecticut (74.3%) Massachusetts (74.2%) Bottom Ranked Idaho (46.1%) Alabama (47.3%) Wyoming (47.3%) Mississippi (48%) Louisiana (50%) Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Worldwide  8,860,174,180 vaccine doses administered 277,826,196 cases 5,382,591 deaths Source: Johns Hopkins  Top Stories: US and Worldwide President Biden has promised 500 million free coronavirus tests to Americans, but the website to order them will not be up until January.  The president also extended the moratorium on student loan repayments to May 1 due to the fresh wave of cases. The head of the World Health Organization said rich countries are prolonging the pandemic by distributing booster shots before all countries meet minimum vaccination targets.

 

 

What's Next A new study suggests doctors could expand the use of the antiviral drug remdesivir to treat high-risk patients before they need hospitalization. But the FDA would need to authorize its at-home use first.