REPORTED. THIS AS DANGEROUS W VARIANTS OF COVID-19 COULD CAUSE OUTBREAKS IN COMMUNITIES WITH LOVAW CCINATION RATES. WHAT THAT MAY MEAN FOR YOUR HEALTH. HERE IS DR. HELEN BOUCHER. THANK YOU AS ALWAYS FOR BEING HERE. THE CDC EXPECTS THE DELTA VARIANT TO BECOME THE DOMINANT STRAIN IN THE U.S. WITHIN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS. THE VACCINATION RATE IN MASSACHUSETTS IS HIGHER THAN OTHER ARTS OF THE COUNTRY. WHAT WILL BE THE IMPACT? W>> HOPE THE IMPACT WILL BE LOW. OURAC VCINATION RATE IS ORVE 61% OF OUR STATE FULLY VACCINATED. WE NEED THAT NUMBER TO BE HIGHER BECAUSE WE KNOW THE VARIANT CAN TAKE HOLD IN POCKE OF UNDER VACCINATED INDIVIDUALS. ERIKA: WE KNOW THE U.K. SAW A BIG SURGE IN INFECTIONS FMRO THE VERY YET DESPITE HAVING HIGHER VACCINATION RATES AS WELL. DO YOU THINK IT WAS THE POCKETS AS YOU MENTIONED? >> IT IS CERTAINLY A CONCERN AND I THINK THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY RFO US TO DOUEBL DOWN ON EFFORTS TO GET VACCINES TO ALL THE PEOEPL WHO NEED THEM ESPECIALLY YOUNGER PEOPLE. THEY’RE THE ONES WHO HAVE HAD LESS TIME TO BECE VACCINATED AND WHERE WE ARE SEEING THESE POCKETS EMERGE. IT IS TIME TO DOUBLE DOWN AND GET TWO DOSES INTO AS MANY PEOPLE AS WE CAN. ERIKA: TALKING ABOUT THOSE YOUNRGE AMERICANS, CHILDREN UNDER THE EAG OF 12 CANNOT GET THE VACCINE. COULD THE DELTA VARIANT IMPACT THEIR SAFETY THIS SUMMER AT CAMPS AND PLACES LIKE THAT? >> AGAIN, WE REALLY HOPE NOT AND SHOULD BE THANKFUL THE CDC HAS GIVEN VERY GOOD GUIDANCE ABOUT HOW TO KEEP CAMPS SAFE IN THE CAMPS WE HAVE ARE DOING A GOOD JOB OF PUTTING THOSE MITIGATION AND TESTING MEASURES INTO PLACE. I THINK THIS COMES BACK TOHE T MESSAGE THAT WE NEED TO VACCINATE ALL THE PEOPLE WE CAN. ALL THOSE WH ARE ELIGIBLE AS QUICKLY AND FULLY AS WE CAN BECAUSE WE KNOW IT IS TWO DOSES OF THE VACCINES THAT WILL PROTECT AGAINSTHE T REGULAR COVID AS WELL AS THE DELTA VAANRI ERIKA: MASSACHUSETTS TRYING TO MOTIVATE MORE PEOPLE TO GET THE SHOT. WE KW THEAX V MILLIONS GIVEAWAY, HOPING WE WILL BOOST VACCINATIONS AMONG YOUNGER ADULTS. HAVE YOU SEEN ANY SISGN YET IT IS WORKING? ARE YOU GOING TO ENTER ?>> THIS HAS BEEN AVAILABLE FOR JUST UNDER TWO WEEKS. CERTAINLY HOPE AS PHYSICIANS AND HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS THAT ANY KIND OF INCENTIVE WE CAN USE WILL HELP PEOPLE TO MEAK THE BEST DECISION FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES. FOR YOUNGER PEOPLE, THIS IS THE KIND OF THING ATTH MIGHT A NICE INCENTIVE CARED AS THE MOM OF TWO TEENS, JUST THE KNOWLEDGE THAT MY GIRLS CAN GET BACK TO BEING SOCIAL HAS BEEN A BIG MOTIVATOR FOR THEM AND THEIR FRIENDS TO GET VACCINATED. WE ARE WKIOR HARD TO MAKE THE VACCINE AVAILABLE TO THOSE YOUNG PEOPLE AT PLACES A TIMES THAT ARE MOST CONVENIENT SO THEY CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE I AM HAPPY IF THEY WANT TO PLAY THE LOTTERY AS WELL. ERIKA: INJECT A LITTLE FUN
Advertisement
Massachusetts Department of Public Health reducing frequency of COVID-19 reports
No more weekend updates, end of community risk rankings
Updated: 1:26 PM EDT Jun 30, 2021
With the pandemic on the ropes in Massachusetts, state health officials are making changes to the public data reporting about COVID-19 cases. Beginning this week, the Department of Public Health said it will only publish data about cases, testing and vaccination on weekdays. Data for Saturdays and Sundays will be published on Mondays, or on Tuesdays if a holiday is observed that week. Other changes, which take effect Thursday, include publishing metrics from higher education institutions weekly instead of daily and an end to the practice of assigning color-coded risk categories to all 351 cities and towns.When reports are issued, they will continue to be published around 5 p.m., officials said. As of Tuesday afternoon, the DPH reported a statewide total of 663,729 cases of COVID-19 and 17,629 deaths since the start of the pandemic. More than 4.19 million of Massachusetts’ 7.03 million residents are now fully vaccinated. Massachusetts COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and fatalitiesMassachusetts vaccination progress
With the pandemic on the ropes in Massachusetts, state health officials are making changes to the public data reporting about COVID-19 cases.
Beginning this week, the Department of Public Health said it will only publish data about cases, testing and vaccination on weekdays. Data for Saturdays and Sundays will be published on Mondays, or on Tuesdays if a holiday is observed that week.
Advertisement
Other changes, which take effect Thursday, include publishing metrics from higher education institutions weekly instead of daily and an end to the practice of assigning color-coded risk categories to all 351 cities and towns.
When reports are issued, they will continue to be published around 5 p.m., officials said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the DPH reported a statewide total of 663,729 cases of COVID-19 and 17,629 deaths since the start of the pandemic. More than 4.19 million of Massachusetts’ 7.03 million residents are now fully vaccinated.