The Vaccination Campaign

The Local Vaccination Campaign Total People Fully Vaccinated (two doses of Moderna or Pfizer or one dose of Johnson & Johnson) Massachusetts: 5,082,311 (up 11,058 from Tuesday) Rhode Island: 826,592 (up 6,045 from Tuesday) Reported changes from the last issue of this newsletter. View all vaccine news and numbers on Globe.com Top Stories: Vaccinations New data from researchers in South Africa show that two shots of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine were 85 percent effective at preventing hospitalizations in the country, where the Omicron variant is widespread. US could clear Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster shot for younger adolescents on Monday, Bloomberg reports. Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine caused mostly mild side effects for children ages 5 to 11, according to data from the CDC. Governor Baker announced Wednesday that 2 million booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Massachusetts.

 

 

 

 

The Local Impact Massachusetts:  1,038,566 cases (up 36,300 from Tuesday)  ·  19,773 deaths (up 81 from Tuesday)  ·  1,817 hospitalizations (up 110 from Tuesday) Rhode Island:  231,096 cases (up 7,111 from Tuesday)  ·  3,066 deaths (up 20 from Tuesday)  ·  325 hospitalizations (up 30 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 Hospitals are preparing for more children, but so far, few are getting very sick from Omicron. New treatments for early COVID-19 are now beginning to arrive at pharmacies in New York and elsewhere, but they remain in short supply. State education officials said they’re making 200,000 at-home rapid antigen COVID-19 tests available to school districts across Massachusetts for teachers and staff. Yale New Haven Health, which includes Westerly Hospital, said it would institute an “extremely limited” visitation policy systemwide starting Thursday because of concerns over the Omicron variant.

 

 

Across the US and Around the World US 507,657,980 vaccinations 54,054,535 cases 823,743 deaths Sources: Johns Hopkins Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Most and Least Vaccinated US States (% of population fully vaccinated) Top Ranked Vermont (77.4%) Rhode Island (76.5%) Maine (75.8%) Massachusetts (74.6%) Connecticut (74.6%) Bottom Ranked Idaho (46.2%) Wyoming (47.5%) Alabama (47.6%) Mississippi (48.1%) Louisiana (50.3%) Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Worldwide  9,092,918,901 vaccinations 285,808,213 cases 5,426,963 deaths Source: Johns Hopkins  Top Stories: US and Worldwide US health officials said travelers should avoid cruises even if they’re vaccinated. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky defended the agency's move to shorten the isolation period for Americans who test positive for COVID-19 from 10 days to five days if they’re asymptomatic.

 

 

What's Next As Omicron spreads, officials are pondering what it means to be "fully vaccinated." Here's what experts say about planning your 2022 vacation as Omicron surges.