Posted inHealth Care

Contact tracing collaborative laying off 170

THE MASSACHUSETTS contact tracing collaborative is laying off 10 percent of its workforce this weekend as COVID-19 case counts continue a steady decline that prompted Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday to set March 22 as the starting date for the fourth and final phase of the state’s reopening plan. State officials said 170 of the […]

Posted inUncategorized

Baker: Mass. has received $71b in fed aid

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT has funneled $71 billion to Massachusetts and its residents through four COVID-19 relief programs over the last year, Gov. Charlie Baker said at a legislative oversight hearing on Thursday. The $71 billion is an astonishing number, far higher than the $46 billion the Legislature appropriated for the state budget during the current […]

Posted inHealth Care

Hospitals to resume vaccinations Monday

HOSPITAL SYSTEMS are alerting their patients that they will resume COVID-19 vaccinations on Monday, less than three weeks after they were cut off by the Baker administration. Massachusetts General Brigham and Beth Israel Lahey notified patients Wednesday morning that they will be able to resume “limited appointments” for vaccinations on Monday. Spokespersons for the two […]

Posted inTransportation

With ‘cliff’ looming, T stalls for time

MBTA OFFICIALS are planning to put off the release of a new, five-year capital plan until June 2022, a move that reflects the financial uncertainty caused by the coronavirus and also the political calculus of a governor running out of funding options for the T’s ambitious capital spending program. It may sound like a minor […]

Posted inTransportation

MBTA tries new approach with commuter rail cuts

WITH NO EXPECTATION of a quick turnaround in ridership, the MBTA is preparing to move ahead with bus and subway service cuts next month while adopting a more revolutionary approach on commuter rail that spreads trips out across the day and does away with the traditional concept of peak travel times. Jeffrey Gonneville, the MBTA’s […]

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Vaccine rollout continues to those 65 and up

THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION accelerated its vaccine rollout, announcing that starting Thursday individuals over 65 and those with two or more underlying health conditions can start booking appointments for initial doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Last week, the administration had indicated it would be “several weeks” before it would move on from vaccinating those 75 and older. […]