Massachusetts
Four years of COVID: Fewer people are dying but the virus ‘is still with us’ – The Boston Globe
Yet while infections have subsided in Massachusetts and nationwide, the ever-evolving pandemic has entered a state of uneasy calm. People are still dying at higher rates than historic norms, and significantly fewer people â including the elderly and the immunocompromised â are getting booster shots to protect themselves. Meanwhile, many hospitals and nursing homes remain stretched to capacity, leaving them ill-prepared for any new outbreaks, infectious disease experts say.
âWe know a lot more than we did four years ago, but weâve still missed a lot of opportunities along the way,â said Dr. Jonathan Levy, who chairs the department of environmental health at Boston Universityâs School of Public Health. âWe have not seen longer-term, structural changes that would keep people healthier â and thatâs troubling given that people are still dying.â
Through March 2, the virus has claimed 23,526 lives in Massachusetts, including 304 since the start of this year. Tens of thousands more have been seriously sickened by the virus, and periodic waves of infections continue to hit the region.
Last spring, the WHO officially lifted its March 11, 2020, emergency declaration, while warning that it did not signal an end to the pandemic and urged countries not to dismantle their COVID response systems. The United States and Massachusetts also ended their emergency declarations.
Yet even as positive signs emerge, the threat is far from over.
One key benchmark is excess deaths, which looks at the number of people who die over and above expected levels based on historic patterns. In the first COVID wave, from March to May 2020, the number of Massachusetts residents dying was double the normal rate, a shocking increase. It spiked again, though not as sharply, in the winter of 2020-21 and from the fall of 2021 to February 2022, according to a recent analysis of mortality data.
While excess deaths have plunged, they still remain at stubbornly elevated levels statewide. Since mid-2022, they have hovered between 5 and 14 percent â a sign that COVID continues to kill those who are most vulnerable, including those with chronic health conditions like high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease, said Benjy Renton, a research associate at Brown University School of Public Health, who helped analyze the data in collaboration with Dr. Jeremy Faust, an emergency medicine physician and public health expert at Brigham and Womenâs Hospital.
âIt looks pretty obvious to me that we have chronic excess mortality, which means that the threat is not gone,â Faust said. âItâs still with us.â
Renton fears the trend of elevated excess deaths could reflect a ânew normal.â
âThatâs still an uncomfortable level of mortality, and the vast majority of those deaths are preventable given what we now know about the virus and the tools we have,â Renton said. âItâs a measure of the acute and lasting impact that COVID continues to have.â
Even so, interest in the pandemic continues to wane, frustrating public health experts. Some states have taken their public dashboards for tracking the virus offline and have stopped following key measures such as reinfections and hospitalizations. More than 80 percent of the US population has received at least one dose of the vaccines, but the most recent COVID booster only made it into the arms of about 20 percent of Americans, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show.
Levy at Boston University is concerned that apathy set in too early, before people changed their behavior and vital changes could be made to health care systems. Early calls for expanding hospital bed capacity, addressing the health care workforce shortage, and expanding insurance coverage for disadvantaged communities have faded as the sense of crisis has ebbed, he noted. COVID laid bare the risks of many jobs, yet most employers did not change their sick leave policies, he added.
âEarly on, there was a feeling that we were all in this together and so letâs support each other,â Levy said. âNow each person is very much on their own to navigate their space … and those who have more resources can navigate it more easily than those that do not.â
Chris Serres can be reached at chris.serres@globe.com. Follow him @ChrisSerres.
Family members of slain trooper George Hanna Jr. speak before killer’s parole hearing
Family members of State Police Trooper George Hanna Jr., shot on Feb. 26, 1983, outside an Auburn liquor store, speak moments before Hanna’s killer, José Colon, goes before the Parole Board in Natick.
The Massachusetts Parole Board has denied parole for a man who was convicted in the slaying of Massachusetts State Trooper George Hanna in 1983, saying he has failed to take full responsibility for his actions.
Jose Colon, now 64, killed Hanna, of Holliston and originally of Natick, on Feb. 26, 1983, outside an Auburn liquor store.
In its ruling, the Parole Board cited several reasons in its decision to deny parole. Those included that Colon testified during his parole hearing that he had been sober for 30 years, contradicting evidence of drug use during that time while in prison. It also cited the fact that he denied committing an armed robbery two days prior to killing Hanna, despite pleading guilty to the crime.
The Board also wrote that Colon hasn’t taken full responsibility for killing Hanna.
“Although he accepts responsibility, Mr. Colon maintains that he closed his eyes and fired his gun six times, hitting Trooper Hanna all six times,” the Board wrote. “He insists he had no intention of harming or killing Trooper Hanna. (However) Mr. Colon did appear to be remorseful that his actions led to the death of Trooper Hanna.”
Although Colon was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, a Supreme Judicial Court decision in 2024 ruled that those younger than 21 at the time a crime is committed can’t be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Colon was 20 when he killed Hanna.
Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early applauded the Parole Board’s decision.
“We are pleased with the Parole Board’s decision and grateful that it carefully considered the seriousness of this crime and its lasting impact on the Hanna family and our community,” Early said in a statement. “Our thoughts remain with the Hanna family, whose strength and perseverance throughout this process have been remarkable.”
State trooper intervened on armed robbery attempt
Hanna was killed on Feb. 26, 1983. According to published reports, that night Hanna pulled over a red Chevy Vega in the parking lot of J&S Liquors on Southbridge Street in Auburn. He did not know that the three men in the car were there to rob the store. All three were armed with handguns.
Hanna frisked one of the men and a struggle ensued. During the struggle, Colon shot Hanna six times. Hanna was shot a total of seven times.
Colon, Emilio Otero and Miguel Rosado, were all convicted of first-degree murder. Colon was the only one younger than 20 at the time, so the SJC ruling only affected him.
In a statement, Gov. Maura Healey celebrated the Parole Board’s decision.
“I strongly opposed Jose Colon’s parole and am grateful that the Parole Board denied his request,” she said in a statement released by her office on Monday, June 22. “More than four decades after Trooper George Hanna was brutally murdered while serving and protecting the people of Massachusetts, his loss continues to be felt by his family, fellow law enforcement officers and communities across our state. Today’s decision recognizes the magnitude of that loss and provides some measure of relief to those who have fought to ensure his memory is never forgotten.”
Hanna grew up in Natick, the son of longtime Natick Police Officer George Hanna Sr., and became a state trooper in 1974. He was married and had three children, and was living in Holliston at the time of his death.
A series of awards in his name, The Hanna Memorial Awards for Bravery, are the highest the state presents to police officers who exhibit exceptional bravery while in the line of duty.
Colon admitted to wrongdoing at parole hearing
During his parole hearing on Jan. 15, Colon admitted what he did was wrong.
“What I did was wrong and inexcusable,” he said during the five-hour hearing in Natick. “I will have to live with that for the rest of my life. I have asked God for forgiveness. I hope that one day the Hanna family will forgive me for the suffering I’ve brought into their life.”
The Board wrote in its decision that it realized Colon was not eligible to participate in several programs that most people seeking parole could because he was serving a life sentence with no chance at parole, until the court’s ruling.
However, the board also wrote that it felt Colon needs to seek treatment regarding his history of trauma and other issues that were contributing factors to the shooting.
“The Board recommends that Mr. Colon address the concerns of the Board, specifically related to accountability and treatment needs,” according to the decision. “The Board concludes Jose Colon has not demonstrated a level of rehabilitation that would make his release compatible with the welfare of society.”
Colon is eligible to seek parole again in 2029.
Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on X @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at Facebook.com/NormanMillerJournalist.
Federal prosecutors said Henriques victimized numerous girls and young women online between the ages of 12 and 18. According to court records, Henriques met or spoke with at least eight admitted or prospective students before later contacting them using information obtained through the college’s admissions system.
The case centered on a 17-year-old prospective student whom Henriques met during a campus tour. Prosecutors said Henriques reviewed the student’s tour registration form, which included her date of birth, and learned she was still in high school. Within hours of the tour, Henriques began texting the student using the phone number she had provided on her admissions form.
Half of the city turned out this weekend to celebrate what’s great about Boston — its people.
On sunny or snowy days, Bostonians will help you out. The Tartan Army from Scotland and Norwegian soccer fans witnessed that last week.
This time, the surprise was all local.
“I’m the luckiest guy in the world,” said George Regan, as he gazed at nearly 300 people who showed up for the christening of his son, George Kenneth Regan IV.
“Teach number four to be a really wonderful person and he’ll teach it to number five,” said former Gov. Charlie Baker, who said that’s the secret to life. Baker himself is the fourth Charlie, with a son the fifth. We all stand on those who came before us, the former governor added.
Work will come around soon enough, but Saturday was a celebration that started at St. Gregory Parish in Dorchester and finished with a reception at Davio’s in the Seaport.
Regan, founder and CEO of the Regan Communications Group, welcomed everyone alongside his wife, Elizabeth, and their new baby boy.
Former Mayor Ray Flynn said it best: Reagan has “stood up for people who needed you.”
There’s not enough ink in this paper to chronicle how connections keep Boston thriving. That’s the space where Regan’s PR firm operates. There are plenty of other similar agencies; it’s just that George Regan has been at the helm of his group since he left former Mayor Kevin White’s office.
Maybe that’s what makes dealing with him so rewarding. Kevin White loved Boston, and that rubbed off on everyone who worked for him.
Former police commissioners Bill Bratton and William “Willie” Gross both spoke as did UMass President Marty Meehan, Denella J. Clark, president and CEO of Boston Arts Academy Foundation, Steve DiFillippo, Davio’s owner, and more.
Former Herald editor Ken Chandler, newly reelected Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, and car magnate Herb Chambers were some of the notables in the crowd.
“Elizabeth and I are honored to welcome our miracle child into the faith alongside the remarkable circle of friends, mentors, and partners who have stood with us through every chapter,” said Regan, who was just recently sick.
But, like Boston, you can’t keep a good man down.
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