Boston, MA
A resource guide for Boston-area COVID long-haulers – The Boston Globe
Discovering a doctor
One of many largest hurdles for lengthy COVID sufferers is discovering a well being care skilled outfitted to look after them. Some within the medical discipline advocate beginning together with your main care doctor; they are going to be armed with the background of your medical historical past, which will help with analysis and therapy.
In the event you’re trying to find a brand new supplier, the COVID-19 Longhauler Advocacy Challenge has crowdsourced a listing of “COVID competent well being care suppliers” submitted by sufferers, which features a handful of Massachusetts physicians with a variety of specialties.
Enrolling in an extended COVID clinic
Plenty of clinics within the Boston space are devoted to sufferers affected by lengthy COVID. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Heart, Boston Medical Heart, Brigham and Ladies’s Hospital, and Boston Youngsters’s Hospital are a few of the regional websites that present multidisciplinary care to these coping with the long-term impacts of COVID-19. Survivor Corps, a affected person advocacy group, has compiled a listing of post-COVID care facilities throughout the nation.
A few of these native hospitals are additionally collaborating in a nationwide examine of lengthy COVID led by the Nationwide Institutes of Well being, and are actively recruiting individuals. (To discover a examine and join, go to research.recovercovid.org.)
Making use of for monetary help
Monetary issues are high of thoughts for a lot of lengthy COVID sufferers, with a lack of revenue and skyrocketing medical payments being a standard results of the power situation. There aren’t any particular monetary help packages for lengthy COVID sufferers, however a lot of metropolis and state packages can be found to these struggling to make ends meet — together with residence heating and vitality help, SNAP advantages for meals prices, and housing help packages.
Becoming a member of a assist group
Physique Politic, a patient-led well being justice group, developed a COVID-19 assist group on Slack that’s now 11,000 members sturdy, with boards to debate particular illnesses, monetary issues, psychological well being struggles, and extra. (To see extra details about the group and request to affix, go to wearebodypolitic.com/covid-19.)
There are additionally a lot of Fb assist teams for these with lengthy COVID — together with specialised teams for BIPOC girls, individuals who have been by no means hospitalized, residents of particular states, and extra.
Securing work lodging
Lengthy COVID has pressured many individuals to go away or reduce on their jobs. Workforce lodging — which embody something from distant work capabilities to modified working hours to job reassignment — have the potential to maintain these with lengthy COVID employed. Since lengthy COVID may be categorised as a incapacity underneath the ADA, employees who’re long-haulers could also be entitled to sure office lodging, in response to the US Division of Labor. The Job Lodging Community is out there without cost consultations to assist folks decide what office flexibilities is likely to be out there to them. (Go to askjan.com to study extra.)
Making use of for Social Safety incapacity advantages
One of many final strains of protection for folks whose circumstances are anticipated to preclude work for at the least one 12 months is Social Safety incapacity advantages — both Social Safety Incapacity Insurance coverage (SSDI) or Supplemental Safety Earnings (SSI). As a result of nearly all of disabled-worker functions are denied, a lawyer will help handle your case.
The Nationwide Group of Social Safety Claimants’ Representatives — a bar group for legal professionals who signify folks attempting to get Social Safety incapacity advantages — operates a referral service for folks to be related with a lawyer close to them. (If you wish to discuss by your scenario with an lawyer, name 845-682-1881, or go to nosscr.org.)
Dana Gerber may be reached at dana.gerber@globe.com. Observe her on Twitter @danagerber6.
Boston, MA
Boston City Councilor will introduce
BOSTON – It could cost you more to get a soda soon. The Boston City Council is proposing a tax on sugary drinks, saying the money on unhealthy beverages can be put to good use.
A benefit for public health?
“I’ve heard from a lot of residents in my district who are supportive of a tax on sugary beverages, but they want to make sure that these funds are used for public health,” said City Councilor Sharon Durkan, who is introducing the “Sugar Tax,” modeled on Philadelphia and Seattle. She said it’s a great way to introduce and fund health initiatives and slowly improve public health.
A study from Boston University found that cities that implemented a tax on sugary drinks saw a 33% decrease in sales.
“What it does is it creates an environment where we are discouraging the use of something that we know, over time, causes cancer, causes diet-related diseases, causes obesity and other diet-related illnesses,” she said.
Soda drinkers say no to “Sugar Tax”
Soda drinkers don’t see the benefit.
Delaney Doidge stopped by the store to get a mid-day pick-me-up on Tuesday.
“I wasn’t planning on getting anything, but we needed toilet paper, and I wanted a Diet Coke, so I got a Diet Coke,” she said, adding that a tax on sugary drinks is an overreach, forcing her to ask: What’s next?
“Then we’d have to tax everything else that brings people enjoyment,” Doidge said. “If somebody wants a sweet treat, they deserve it, no tax.”
Store owners said they’re worried about how an additional tax would impact their businesses.
Durkan plans to bring the tax idea before the City Council on Wednesday to start the conversation about what rates would look like.
Massachusetts considered a similar tax in 2017.
Boston, MA
Patience over panic: Kristaps Porzingis and the Celtics struggles
The Celtics aren’t playing great basketball. Coincidence or not, this stretch has coincided with the return and reintegration of Kristaps Porzingis. In 23 games without the big man, Boston has a record of 19-4—with him in the lineup, that falls to a much less flattering 9-7 record.
This has put his value on trial, and opened the door to discussions about whether a move to the bench could be helpful for everyone involved. It’s not a crazy idea by any means, but it’s shortsighted and an oversimplification of why the team has struggled of late.
While Kristaps attempts to slide back into his role, there’s an adjustment period that the team naturally has to go through. That’s roughly 13 shots per game being taken from the collective and handed to one individual. It’s a shift that can impact that entire rotation, but it’s also not unfamiliar to the team—by now, they’re used to the cycle of Porzingis’ absence and return.
KP hasn’t been the same game-breaking player that we’ve come to know, but he’s not that far off. He isn’t hunting shots outside of the flow of the offense, and the coaching staff isn’t force-feeding him either.
This table shows a comparison in the volume and efficiency of Kristaps’ most used play types from the past two seasons. Across the board, the possessions per game have remained very similar, while the efficiency has taken a step back.
He’s shooting below the standard he established for himself during the championship run, but the accuracy should come around as he gets more comfortable and confident in his movements post-injury. Porzingis opened up about this after a win over the Nuggets, sharing his progress.
“80-85%. I still have a little bit to go.” Porzingis said. “I know that moment is coming when everything will start clicking, and I’ll play really high-level basketball.”
In theory, sending KP to the bench would allow him to face easier matchups and build his conditioning back up. On a similar note, he and the starters have a troubling -8.9 net rating. With that said, abandoning this unit so quickly is an overreaction and works against the purpose of the regular season.
It may require patience, but we’re talking about a starting lineup that had a +17.3 net rating over seven playoff games together. Long term, it’s more valuable to let them figure it out, rather than opt for a temporary fix.
It can’t be ignored that the Celtics are also getting hit by a wrecking ball of poor shooting luck in his minutes. Opponents are hitting 33.78% of their three-pointers with him on the bench, compared to a ridiculously efficient 41.78% when he’s on the court. To make matters worse, Boston is converting 37.21% of their own 3’s without KP, and just 32.95% with him.
Overall, there’s a -8.83% differential between team and opponent 3PT efficiency with Porzingis in the game. This is simply unsustainable, and it’s due for positive regression eventually.
Despite his individual offensive struggles, Porzingis has been elite as a rim protector. Among 255 players who have defended at least 75 shots within 6 feet of the basket, he has the best defensive field goal percentage in the NBA at 41.2%. Players are shooting 20.9% worse than expected when facing Kristaps at the rim.
Boston is intentional about which shooters they’re willing to leave open and when to funnel drives toward Porzingis. Teams are often avoiding these drives, and accepting open looks from mediocre shooters—recently, with great success. Both of these factors play into the stark difference in opponent 3PT%.
The numbers paint a disappointing picture, but from a glass-half-full perspective, there’s plenty of room for positive regression. Last season, the starting lineup shot 39.31% from beyond the arc and limited opponents to 36.75%. This year, they’ve struggled, shooting just 27.61% themselves, while opponents are converting at an absurd 46.55%.
Ultimately, the Celtics’ struggles seem more like a temporary blip, fueled by frustrating shooting luck and a slow return to form for Kristaps, rather than a reason to panic. The core of this team has already proven their ability to perform together at a high level, and sticking with the current configuration gives them the best chance to break out of the slump.
Allowing Porzingis to round into shape and cranking up the defensive intensity should help offset some of the shooting woes. As Porzingis eloquently put it, “with this kind of talent in this locker room, it’s impossible that we don’t start playing better basketball.” When water finds its level, the game will start to look easy again.
Boston, MA
Frigid wind chill temperatures today
The wind is back. And no one is happy.
Well, at least it won’t be 10 days of it. Instead, you’ll have to settle for two, with occasional gusts to 35-40 mph. Not nearly as intense as the last go-round, but still enough to produce wind chills in the single digits and teens through Wednesday. Thursday the winds are much lighter, but even with a slight breeze, we may see wind chills near zero in the morning.
The pattern remains active, but we’ll have to wait a few days until our next batch of precipitation. And with temperatures warming, it looks like rain by Saturday afternoon. We’ll rise into the 40s through Sunday, then feel the full weight of the polar vortex early next week.
Yes, you read that right. The spin, the hype, and definitely the cold, are back. Much of the country will plunge into the deep freeze. The question remains whether we’ll spin up a storm early next week. Jury is still out on that, but we’re certain this will be the coldest airmass of the season.
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