Massachusetts coronavirus vaccine rollout: 306,646 people have received at least first shot

More than 300,000 people in Massachusetts have received at least the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, the CDC reported on Thursday.

The federal agency’s COVID-19 vaccine tracker showed that 306,646 people in Massachusetts have received the first dose of the two-shot treatment, and 46,247 people have received both doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

Last week, the Massachusetts COVID-19 weekly vaccine report showed that 206,190 people had received the first dose, and 32,984 people had received both doses — for a total of 239,174 total doses administered. The state’s weekly report on Thursday showed that 359,919 total doses have been administered, but this week the state did not break it down by first and second dose, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Nearly 800,000 total doses have been distributed to the Bay State, according to the CDC. The state on Thursday reported that nearly 600,000 doses have been shipped to the state, up from the reported 347,450 total doses in last week’s state report.

Meanwhile, Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday announced that home health care workers and other non-COVID facing medical workers can now receive vaccines as the state moves into the last step of its Phase I distribution plan.

State health officials on Thursday reported 75 new coronavirus deaths and 4,821 new cases.

The seven-day average of confirmed cases is now 3,650, a drop from an average of 6,233 cases on Jan. 8. The count of estimated active cases in the Bay State is now 88,929, a dip from 98,750 on Monday.

Statewide hospitalizations have also been declining. Hospitalizations on Thursday went down by 57 patients, bringing the total to 2,152 patients.

The seven-day average of the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 has decreased from 2,347 patients on Jan. 7 to an average of 2,202 patients now.

The decline in case counts and hospitalizations resulted in Baker on Thursday announcing that a curfew mandating restaurants and most other businesses to close by 9:30 p.m. will lift next week.

A total of 938 staff and students in Massachusetts schools have tested positive for coronavirus in the last week, an increase from last week’s tally of 930, according to data from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on Thursday.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3p6LZkD