Massachusetts
Confusion over COVID shots starts to ease in wake of Healey’s policy changes – The Boston Globe
On Thursday, Governor Maura Healey announced that updated COVID shots would be available to all state residents ages 6 months and older. She also made Massachusetts the first state in the country to require that insurers cover vaccinations recommended by the state rather than those recommended by the Department of Health and Human Services. The move came in response to actions by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to limit COVID vaccines to those 65 and older or with underlying conditions, despite evidence that healthy adults, young children, and pregnant women can also benefit from the shots. But it was taking time for the new rules to filter down to individual providers.
“In Massachusetts, we will not let Donald Trump or Robert Kennedy get in the way of patients and the care and the treatments and the medication that they want and need,” Healey said Thursday. “No one in the great state of Massachusetts is going to be denied because of cost.”
Minj Lo, a floating pharmacist at the Target CVS, said everyone coming in to ask about vaccines had been confused.
“Everything changes every day,” he said.
Target did not respond to the Globe’s request for comment.
Typically, a panel of advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, issues national guidance on COVID vaccines in June; insurers are mandated to cover the shots the panel recommends, and pharmacies and doctors’ offices place orders based on how many people the panel recommends should receive the shots. In addition, Massachusetts was one of 16 states, along with the District of Columbia, where local law required pharmacists to have clearance from the panel in order to administer vaccines. This year, the CDC has yet to issue any COVID vaccine guidance, which has sown confusion and delayed orders. Healey’s decision required pharmacies to break with the CDC panel and follow state guidance instead.
Amy Thibault, executive director of external affairs at CVS, said in a statement that the retailer is “adhering to the [state] order, and we are working to ensure that all of our Massachusetts pharmacy teams understand this.”
Vaccines were also beginning to arrive at area hospitals.
In a statement to the Globe Thursday, Mass General Brigham said, “The newly approved 2025–26 vaccine will be arriving to Mass General Brigham sites soon, and eligible patients will be able to access it through our practices as distribution continues. We also encourage eligible patients to get vaccinated at local pharmacies.”
Moderna, a biotech company based in Cambridge that developed one of the COVID vaccines, said in a statement to the Globe Monday that it was “business as usual” when it came to vaccine rollout and distribution. The Food and Drug Administration approved updated COVID shots last month for the elderly and those at high risk for complications.
“After our updated COVID-19 vaccines were approved on August 27, we began shipping orders to providers, with the first shipment arriving at a local CVS on the 29 [of August]. Our roll-out is going as planned, with vaccines already available at providers and pharmacies across the country,” said Kelly Cunningham, associate director of communications for Moderna, in the statement.
More people are now able to get or sign up for the vaccine without a problem.
Daniel O’Donnell, a sophomore at Northeastern University, signed up for his flu shot on the CVS app and was pleasantly surprised to be offered the vaccine when he arrived at the Massachusetts Avenue CVS Sunday morning.
“They were like, ‘Oh, do you also want to get your COVID vaccine?’ and I was like, ‘Can I?’” said O’Donnell, who has Type 1 diabetes, one of the conditions that can make COVID more severe.
At a CVS in the Seaport, Caroline Mur, 73, of Fort Point, was picking up medication and asking about a COVID vaccine — her second this year. She tries to get two annually, but admitted she was “a bit worried” when she heard reports in the news that insurance might no longer cover them. After Healey announced insurers and pharmacies would be required to keep vaccines available and covered, Mur decided it was the right time.
As she walked away from the counter with her appointment set, Mur did a little happy dance.
“I believe in vaccines,” she said.
Alexa Coultoff can be reached at alexa.coultoff@globe.com. Follow her @alexacoultoff. Katarina Schmeiszer can be reached at katarina.schmeiszer@globe.com. Follow her on X at @katschmeiszer. Sadaf Tokhi can be reached at sadaf.tokhi@globe.com.
Massachusetts
Two stabbed at Cedar’s Mediterranean Foods plant in Haverhill
Two people were seriously injured in a stabbing at the Cedar’s Mediterranean Foods manufacturing facility in Haverhill, Massachusetts, on Tuesday morning.
Haverhill police said they responded to the Cedar’s plan on Foundation Avenue around 10:30 a.m. for a report of a disturbance involving a weapon. When they arrived, they found two people suffering from apparent stab wounds.
Both people were provided with medical assistance on scene and taken to area hospitals with what police described as serious injuries. Their names have not been released, and no update on their conditions was immediately available.
Preliminary investigation determined that the two people knew each other, and police said there is no ongoing threat to the public. They said their investigation into the incident remains active.
Massachusetts
Injured Massachusetts teen thanks rescuers who
Two Plymouth, Massachusetts teens were saved from the summit of Mount Washington after a leg injury stranded them.
Khang Nguyen,17, said he and his friend, 18-year-old Vaughn Webb, thought they were well prepared for their hike on Saturday. They brought trekking poles, layers, microspikes for their boots and more.
But halfway up the trail, Nguyen feared the worst when his leg began to hurt.
“It was just incredibly painful to lift up my right leg,” he explained. “I told [Vaughn] to leave me behind so I could go on my own pace and for him to reach the summit to get help at first.”
The pair managed to reach the top of the mountain but had to seek shelter next to a building as wind gusts increased, and the air temperature reached 38 degrees. Nguyen said they also ran out of food and water. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department received the 911 call around 7:30 p.m. and quickly alerted a State Park employee who began to search for the two teens.
“Conservation Officers then began responding in four-wheel-drive pickup trucks to try and get to the summit and back ahead of incoming snow,” the game department said in a statement.
After around 30 minutes of reaching both Webb and Nguyen were found. They were taken inside a building and Nguyen was being treated for his injury.
“The worker that was up there, [said] that they came in record time, and we appreciate their help a lot. It saved our lives potentially,” Nguyen explained.
The pair was successfully taken off the mountain by 10 p.m. The two teens are now safely back in Massachusetts and are incredibly grateful to their rescuers.
Massachusetts
Western Massachusetts libraries celebrating National Library Week – Athol Daily News
As libraries across western Massachusetts celebrate National Library Week from April 19 to April 25, they are honoring “the last real third space where everyone is welcome,” in the words of Greenfield Public Library Assistant Director Lisa Prolman.
According to the American Library Association, National Library Week is “an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries and library professionals play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities.” This year, several libraries in the region will be hosting events to highlight the roles they play in their communities.
The Athol Public Library is among the venues engaging in National Library Week festivities, with a whole host of events starting on Tuesday, April 21, with Silly Goose Story Time at 10:30 a.m. The library will hold multiple events each day, including “Free Book Friday” on April 24, which Assistant Director Robin Shtulman said is “really fantastic.”
Shtulman said the week celebrates and emphasizes the “freedom to read, community outreach and celebrating the staff, without whom nothing would happen.”
The Athol Public Library said in an event announcement that “whatever brings you joy, the library has something for everyone,” and that aspect is being emphasized this National Library Week. To name a few of the events on tap, on Tuesday, April 21, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., there’s a volunteer opportunity where teens will make greeting cards for senior citizens; “A Minecraft Movie” will be shown at the same date and time; and on Thursday, April 23, the library will host Scavenger Hunt Bingo for all ages. For a full list of events at the Athol Public Library, visit atholpubliclibrary.com.
In Shelburne Falls, the Arms Library will feature a gallery from the Carlos Heiligmann Collection, a series of photos of public libraries across western Massachusetts. Also in collaboration with the Arms Library, Pothole Pictures and the Shelburne Falls Area Women’s Club will partner for a screening of “Free For All: The Public Library” on Saturday, April 25, at 2 p.m. at the Shelburne Falls Theater at Memorial Hall.
The documentary focuses on the evolution of the public library from its origins in the 19th century and the challenges it faces today, with modern-day issues such as book bans, funding cuts and debates over censorship.
It also explores the role that women’s clubs, like the one in Shelburne Falls, played in creating the modern library system. To serve their communities, women’s clubs took the lead in fundraising, collecting books and advocating for library legislation.
“Our women’s club in this town started with a group of 60 women who were gathering for lessons. … Because of the support of women in the U.S., we established over 80% of the public libraries [in the country],” said Christin Couture, program chair for the Shelburne Falls Area Women’s Club. “This film … I hear it’s so fascinating.”
Following the film’s screening, there will be a panel of local librarians who will engage in “lively conversation” about the history and future of public libraries. Tickets are $6, though school-age children will be admitted for free.
In Charlemont, Tyler Memorial Library will host an open house on Saturday, April 25, from noon to 2 p.m. featuring refreshments, a tour of the library and sun catcher crafting.
The Greenfield Public Library, meanwhile, is taking National Library Week in a bit of a different direction, as it is offering a book repair demonstration with Tom Hutcheson on Thursday, April 23, at 3:30 p.m. The day marks William Shakespeare’s birthday.
Although the book repair session required registration and is currently full, those who are interested may be placed on a waiting list at greenfieldpl.libcal.com/event/16460179.
Greenfield Public Library Director Anna Bognolo recognized the hard work that everyone has put into making the library a success, offering a “huge thank you” to the volunteers and staff who make its varied offerings possible.
“Stop by and support your library,” Bognolo said.
“Libraries, especially in this economy, are more important than ever,” Prolman said. Referencing the library’s role as a place where community members can go that is not work or home, she added, “They are the last real third space where everyone is welcome, and we don’t charge you for being here.”
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