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.

Nearly 50 beaches are closed across Massachusetts on Sunday, Aug. 31.

There are 49 beaches closed, most due to excessive bacteria levels, according to the state Department of Public Health.

One of those is the main beach at Walden Pond State Reservation, which will remain closed for the entirety of summer 2025 as a new, state-of-the-art $6.1 million bathhouse is constructed. Red Cross Beach at Walden Pond will remain open, but without lifeguards.

Here is the full list of beach closures and reasons for closing on Sunday:

• Ashby: Damon Pond Beach — excess bacteria
• Ashland: Ashland Reservoir — Main Beach-excess bacteria
• Beverly: Woodbury — excess bacteria
• Billerica: Nutting Lake, Micozzi Beach at North and South — excess bacteria
• Braintree: Smith Beach — excess bacteria
• Brewster: Cliff Pond at DYS and Main — harmful cyanobacteria bloom
• Chicopee: Chicopee Beach — harmful cyanobacteria bloom
• Concord: Walden Pond – Main, due to construction
• Danvers: Sandy Beach — excess bacteria
• Essex: Centennial Grove beach — harmful cyanobacteria bloom
• Franklin: Chilson Beach — excess bacteria
• Georgetown: American Legion Park — excess bacteria
• Harwich: Seymour Pond — harmful cyanobacteria bloom
• Holden: Eagle Lake — excess bacteria
• Lynn: Kings on Eastern Ave., Kimball Road and Pierce Road — excess bacteria
• Mashpee: Santuit Pond at Bryants Neck and Town Landing — harmful cyanobacteria bloom
• Nantucket: Sesachacha Pond — excess bacteria
• Natick: Memorial Beach (Dug Pond) at Wading — excess bacteria
• North Andover: Frye Pond Beach and Stevens Pond – Center – due to excess bacteria
• Oxford: Carbuncle Pond — harmful cyanobacteria bloom
• Salem: Children’s Island, Back and Wally, and Ocean Avenue — excess bacteria
• Saugus: Pearce Lake at Breakheart Reservation — excess bacteria
• Sharon: Community Center Beach and Sharon Town Beach at Central — excess bacteria
• Sherborn: Farm Pond — harmful cyanobacteria exceedance
• Southwick: South Pond Beach — bacterial exceedance
• Springfield: Bass Pond at Right — cyanobacteria bloom, Camp Wilder at Right — excess bacteria and Paddle Club at Right— cyanobacteria bloom
• Templeton: Beamans Pond closed for campground and day-use activities — excess bacteria
• Tisbury: Hilman’s Pond — excess bacteria
• Townsend: Pearl Hill Pond Beach — excess bacteria
• Upton: Upton Town Beach — harmful cyanobacteria bloom
• Wareham: Shangri-La — harmful cyanobacteria bloom
• Westborough: Lake Chauncy Beach — harmful cyanobacteria bloom
• Wilmington: Wilmington Town Beach at Center and Right — excess bacteria
• Winchendon: Lake Dennison State Park at North Camp Beach — excess bacteria
• Winthrop: Donovans and Halford — excess bacteria

What are the risks?

Swimming in beach water that has high levels of bacteria can be risky and can result in illnesses, including:

• Gastrointestinal symptoms- nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain
• Respiratory symptoms- sore throat, cough, runny nose and sneezing
• Dermatological symptoms- skin rash and itching
• Eye and ear symptoms- irritation, earache, itching
• Flu-like symptoms- fever and chills

Stay aware of any warnings or beach closures that indicate that the water is not safe. Check the weather forecast, avoid swimming after heavy rain, watch for signs of water pollution like discolored, fast flowing and strong smelling water, do not swim near trash or litter floating in the water, avoid swallowing the water and swim in areas designated as “swim beaches.”

Although a beach could be posted, the public can still visit the location and take part in other activities that do not involve contact with the water. This can include anything from playing sports like volleyball or frisbee to sunbathing or collecting seashells or sea glass, DPH stated.

The public can also help to reduce contamination and pollution at the beach by:

• Cleaning up after pets
• Not feeding the birds as it encourages them to hang around the beaches, which increases fecal matter
• Using public restrooms
• Picking up and throwing away trash using public restrooms or properly disposing of it at home
• Not entering the water when sick or feeling unwell
• Changing diapers and putting plastic or rubber pants, known as swim diapers, on diapered children before they enter the water
• Not dumping anything down storm drains, as water moving through these drains does not get treated at a wastewater facility and flows directly into lakes and streams
• Avoiding the use of fertilizers and pesticides in yards since these chemicals can easily carry into the surface of waters during rain events and snowmelt
• Use walkways and avoid walking on dunes to prevent erosion and preserve vegetation that filters out pollutants from runoff before they reach the beach

More details from the DPH can be found here.