LYNN NEWS ROUND-UP
MARCH 12, 2021
See our COVID-19 related posts by clicking here.
Lynn municipal buildings will reopen to the public starting March 22nd.
SEE BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION.
The state of MA is slowly reopening throughout the month of March.
Click here for more info.
A vaccination site has opened at Lynn Tech for Lynners.
Find out more & watch a video tour by clicking here.
Weekly COVID-19 numbers from Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health, Lynn moves risk categories from red to yellow
Every week the MA Dept. of Public Health releases numbers for how COVID-19 has impacted the state, and we try to highlight some of these numbers so the community is informed about how COVID is impacting Lynn & the state. Their numbers factor in the past week as well as the week before, giving 2 weeks worth of data.
The City of Lynn has officially entered the yellow COVID-19 risk category for the first time, according to the MA Department of Public Health’s weekly report. For the duration of the pandemic Lynn has been hit hard, staying in the red category until this point and passing 15,000 total cases last month. Lynn currently has 259 active cases, down from 1,100 just 4 weeks ago. New 24-hour cases have not risen above 81 & 29 people have died since the start of February, both statistics tredning in a positive direction for the city.
Overall the numbers & news are very positive for Lynn, but caution is still urged. There is concern a lack of vaccine availability, the coming warmer weather, re-opening schools to in-person learning, & loosening restrictions could cause a spike in cases. With those factors in mind it is still recommended to take COVID-19 seriously until you’ve been fully vaccinated, & even after to still mask up and distance for at least a little while to help mitigate the spread to ensure those that aren’t able to get the vaccine yet remain healthy.
The average daily incidence rate per 100,000 for Lynn this week was 21.8. The last 4 weeks it was at 26.1, 31.4, 43.7, & 57.2. The positivity rate this week was 3.63%. The last 4 weeks this rate was 4.37, 5.32%, 6.89%, & 8.19%. These are both very positive trends for Lynn, which hasn’t seen consistently good numbers like this for months. You can view these trends for Lynn yourself on the City of Lynn’s COVID-19 dashboard by clicking here. You can click the icon in the top-right corner of each section to see it enlarged.
The state of Massachusetts has also seen some positive trends overall. The average daily incidence rate per 100,000 for MA this week was 20.3. The last 4 weeks it had been 23.3, 30.0, 38.5, & 48.9. The positivity rate this week was 1.83%. The last 4 weeks it has been 1.93%, 2.15%, 2.70%, 3.40%, & 4.32%. This week there were only 14 communities in the red category, a rapid decline from the 100+ throughout February. This is the lowest number of communities in the red category that the state has seen since last summer. The number of communities in the yellow has fluctated due to communtiies changing categories, however this number has also been trending promisingly overall.
The United States currently has 29.3 million cases, up from 28.9 million last week. This now marks 1 month of gaining less than 1 million cases in a week, a incredibly positive trend for our nation. There are currently 119 million cases reported worldwide, up from 116 million last week. Internationally cases have remained fairly constatnt, with at least 3million more a week for several weeks now. New case numbers in the U.S. have dropped significantly & and deaths have remained fairly consistent since the surge from the holidays in January. At it’s height back in early January 208,336 new cases were reported with a 7-day average of 254,873. Currently there are only 62,689 new cases reported and a 7-day average of 62,598.
The death toll in the US now sits at approx. 530K while it was at 520K, 508K, & 493K the previous 3 weeks. This accounts for 20% of the worldwide death toll, and is double the amount of the country with the second-highest total deaths: Brazil. The good news is that deaths are trending downwards, but are still at the levels we first saw back in April 2020. Yesterday 1,522 were declared dead due to COVID-19, & the current 7-day average for deaths sits at 1,475.
In Massachusetts there are currently 14 communities in the red category & 181 in the yellow category. The last 4 weeks there were 19, 28, 66, & 120. communities in the red. The last 4 weeks there were 178, 190, 166, & 137 communities in the yellow.
The MA Department of Public Health continues to conduct surveillance for COVID-19 variants of concern including B.1.1.7 (first identified in the UK), B.1.351 (first identified in South Africa) and P.1 (first identified in Brazil).
Surveillance, consisting of genetic sequencing on portions of COVID-19 positive specimens, has been ongoing in a collaboration between the Massachusetts State Public health Laboratory with clinical diagnostic laboratories and academic partners, including the CDC. Surveillance data so far has identified B.1.1.7 and the B.1.351 cases without any recent travel; it is critical to do everything possible to keep variants of concern from becoming widespread.
The public health risk reduction measures remain the same. Individuals must continue to wear masks or face coverings while out in public, maintain 6-foot social distancing, stay home when you are sick, and get tested if you have symptoms or are identified as a close contact
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Below are the statistics for Lynn & the state.
| City/Town | Total Case Count | Case Count (Last 14 Days) | Average Daily Incidence Rate per 100,000 (Last 14 days) | Relative Change in Case Counts | Total Tests | Total Tests (Last 14 days) | Total Positive Tests (Last 14 days) | Percent Positivity (Last 14 days) | Change in Percent Positivity |
| Lynn | 15,449 | 308 | 21.8 | Lower | 191,590 | 10,289 | 373 | 3.63% | Lower |
| STATEWIDE | 562,394 | 19,791 | 20.3 | Lower | 17,019,491 | 1,245,674 | 22,843 | 1.83% | Lower |
If you would like to find out full statistics for the entire state, including maps & town-by-town data, you can find the full weekly report from MA Dept. of Public Health by clicking here (link downloads a PDF).
Previous Weekly Public Health Reports can be found by clicking here.
All information above was obtained via official state & federal sources.
Find a mass vaccine location near you by clicking here.
Schedule an appointment at the Lynn Tech Vaccination site by clicking here.
For phasing details and the most up-to-date status of where MA is in our vaccination timeline please click here.
In case you missed it: Lynn City Hall & other buildings to reopen to the public on Monday, March 22nd
Lynn City Buildings including: City Hall, DPW, Police and Fire Department Offices will reopen to the public on Monday, March 22nd. Limited in-person services at City Hall for tax and ticket payments will continue on the first floor through Friday, March 19th.
Also starting Monday, March 22nd, the Library will be open regular hours for in-person services to the public by appointment only.
Face coverings and social distancing will be mandatory for those entering all city buildings. Entrance and exit for visitors will continue to be limited to Johnson Street for City Hall and Main Entrances for the other City Buildings. Visitors will also be asked to provide contact information and what specific departments they are visiting for contact tracing purposes.
The above info. was submitted to us by Mayor McGee’s office.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Mayor Thomas McGee gave an update on the vaccination progress in Lynn so far. Detailed information on this can be found at the bottom of this article.
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Baker-Polito Administration Announces Preregistration System for Mass Vaccination Locations to Launch today, Updates on Dose Distribution in the Commonwealth & Designated Vaccine Clinic Days for K-12 Educators, Staff & Child Care Workers
The Baker-Polito Administration Wednesday announced a new preregistration signup tool will be available for the state’s 7 mass vaccination sites starting Friday, March 12. The new system will make it easier to request and book an appointment at a mass vaccination site at a nearby location when they are available. More sites will be added to the preregistration system in the coming weeks. When preregistration launches on Friday, it will replace the current booking platforms for mass vaccination sites for online booking. The COVID-19 Vaccine Scheduling Resource Line will be available to help residents without internet access or with difficulty using the internet with the preregistration process.
The Administration also announced the weekly distribution of vaccine doses statewide for different providers, reminding residents that there are 170 public vaccination sites statewide in addition to health systems that are offering appointments to their patients.
More information on vaccine sites can be found at: vaxfinder.mass.gov
The Administration also announced four dedicated educator days at mass vaccination sites and updates on vaccine distribution channels.
Preregistration System
Partnering with the Google Cloud Team, the Administration will launch a preregistration system for mass vaccination sites only starting Friday, March 12. This tool will be available at www.mass.gov/COVIDvaccine.
Preregistration will allow eligible residents to book an appointment at one of the state’s 7 mass vaccination sites.
Details on the Preregistration Process:
- Eligible residents will complete the online form at mass.gov/COVIDVaccine to request to book an appointment at a mass vaccination site nearby.
- After completing the form, residents will get a confirmation via their preferred method of contact (text, e-mail, phone) and receive a weekly update about their status. Residents may opt out of their preregistration at any time if they secure an appointment elsewhere.
- When an appointment becomes available at a mass vaccination site, the resident will be notified and will have 24 hours to accept the appointment once it is offered to them. If an appointment is not accepted after 24 hours, the resident will go back into the queue to wait for another appointment.
- To accommodate older residents and others who are unable to use the form, the preregistration form allows family members, caregivers or other companions to fill out the form on behalf of someone else. Residents who do not have internet access or someone to fill the form out for them can call 2-1-1 to preregister.
- Available appointments will be offered to residents based on their vaccine eligibility and the availability of appointments at mass vaccination sites nearby. Initially, this program is only for the state’s 7 mass vaccination sites. More sites will be added to the pre-registration system in April.
Massachusetts receives a very limited supply of vaccine from the federal government each week. Due to high demand and limited supply, there are only a small number of appointments for eligible residents. Given the limited number of available appointments due to constraints on vaccine supply, it could take several weeks for eligible, preregistered residents to receive a notification about an available appointment.
In addition to preregistering for a mass vaccination appointment, eligible residents are encouraged to book vaccine appointments at any of the 170 public vaccine sites across the Commonwealth. The state has also allocated a supply of doses to certain health care providers, hospitals and community health centers that will provide instructions to their patients on their vaccine process.
Once the preregistration system is launched on Friday, March 12, it will replace the weekly appointment release on Thursdays for mass vaccination sites only. Eligible residents will need to preregister online or contact the call center to request an appointment for a mass vaccination site.
The preregistration system will not impact this week’s appointment release on Thursday, March 11 for mass vaccination sites. Residents should follow the usual process on March 11 to secure an appointment as a mass vaccination site.
Other Ways to Access a Vaccine Appointment:
Eligible residents are encouraged to look for appointments at any of the state’s 170 public vaccine sites by searching vaxfinder.mass.gov.
This webpage contains information on locations, hours and instructions to schedule appointments.
New appointments are added frequently for many sites.
Vaccine doses are also provided to certain health care providers, hospitals, and community health centers. If you are an eligible patient, please follow instructions from your health care provider on how to access a vaccine.
State Distribution:
This week, the state will receive a constrained supply of about 155,000 first doses. This week, first doses and second dose allocations (total doses), were divided among providers as follows:
- Mass vaccination sites: 83,000
- Hospital Providers (both private and public): 79,000
- Regional Collaboratives (12 total): 38,000
- Community Health Centers: 25,000
- Local Boards of Health (to complete 2nd dose appointments and support 20 disproportionately impacted communities): 25,000
Weekly allocations are subject to change based on federal availability, demand from providers, and obligations to meet second doses. Providers have 10 days to use their doses.
Federal Doses:
In addition to the state allocation, the federal government distributes vaccines to CVS Health sites as part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Partnership as well as to certain Massachusetts federally qualified community health centers. These quantities fluctuate on a weekly basis and are not counted as part of the state’s weekly allocation.
This week, 95,000 first and second doses have been allocated to the retail pharmacy program and 19,000 Johnson & Johnson doses have been allocated to the federally qualified health centers.
Individuals looking to book appointments across any of these providers should visit www.mass.gov/covidvaccine to learn more.
Mass Vaccination Appointments:
On Thursday, March 11, over 40,000 new first dose appointments for mass vaccination sites will be made available to eligible groups through the state’s website and the COVID-19 Vaccine Scheduling Resource Line. Additionally, over 40,000 second dose appointments have also been scheduled at mass vaccination sites.
This is the last week that mass vaccination sites will be posted online on Thursday morning. Starting March 12, all mass vaccination appointments will be booked through the pre-registration system.
As more individuals have received a first vaccine dose across the Commonwealth, there is a greater need to book second appointments, so the mass vaccination sites have fewer first dose appointments available on a weekly basis.
Educator Vaccination Days
On March 11, pursuant to a federal directive, approximately 400,000 K-12 educators, childcare workers and K-12 school staff are eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccine in Massachusetts.
K-12 educators, childcare workers and K-12 school staff may receive vaccine from any of the 170 public vaccine sites available on mass.gov/covidvaccine.
In an effort to support the Biden-Harris Administration’s directive for states to prioritize teacher vaccinations, the Administration will designate 4 days where the state’s 7 mass vaccination sites will only offer 1st dose appointments for K-12 educators, child care workers and K-12 school staff.
These dates are: Saturday, March 27, Saturday, April 3, Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11
Workers in this group must use the pre-registration system to request an appointment at one of the seven mass vaccination sites and attest they are a K-12 educator, childcare worker or K-12 school staff.
All other vaccine providers (including Regional Collaboratives) are encouraged, but not required, to restrict their appointments to K-12 educators, child care workers and K-12 school staff on Saturday, March 27 , Saturday, April 3 , Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11, for consistency. Providers may designate alternative dates, in lieu of the 4 dates designated by the State, if necessary.
Clinics may not restrict access to individuals who live or work in a particular area.
All vaccine providers (including regional collaboratives) must submit their dates for educator clinics by Tuesday, March 16. The Command Center will post the schedule for all clinics next week.
K-12 educators, childcare workers and K-12 school staff are urged to book appointments through mass.gov/COVIDvaccine beginning on March 11 as well as to book through the federal retail pharmacy program’s CVS website. Given the limited supply of vaccine, K-12 educators, childcare workers and K-12 school staff may not receive vaccine until mid-April or later.
Mass Vaccination Locations:
- Springfield, Eastfield Mall
- Natick, Natick Mall
- Foxboro, Gillette Stadium
- Danvers, Doubletree Hotel
- Boston, Fenway Park (through 3/27) and Hynes Convention Center (starting 3/18)
- Roxbury, Reggie Lewis Center
- Dartmouth, Former Circuit City
Regional Collaboratives:
- Barnstable County
- Berkshire County Boards of Health Association
- Franklin County Regional Collaborative
- Harrington Hospital, in Collaboration with LBOH
- Heywood Hospital, in Collaboration with LBOH
- Lawrence General Hospital, in Collaboration with LBOH
- Marshfield-Plymouth
- Northampton & Amherst
- Randolph – Collaboration between Avon, Holbrook, and Randolph
- Rutland
- Worcester, Worcester State University, Commonwealth Medicine and St. Vincent Hospital
- Lower Merrimack Valley- Collaboration between Amesbury, Georgetown, Groveland, Merrimack, Newbury, Newburyport, Rowley, Salisbury and West Newbury
- Southern Worcester County Regional COVID-19 Vaccination Coalition- Collaboration between Uxbridge, Northbridge, Mendon, Douglas, Bellingham, Blackstone, Hopedale, Millville, Milford, Oxford, Upton, Sutton
Strong winds expected Friday into Saturday
As of 5AM on Friday: Strong winds are expected late Friday night and early Saturday morning. Winds will gust up to 45 to 55 mph, with isolated 60 mph gusts possible. Gusty winds diminish Saturday afternoon but return on Sunday #MAwx #RIwx #CTwx
Click for full-resolution images.
The above information & graphics are courtesy of the National Weather Service.
From Mayor McGee’s office: The Lynn Public Health Department has confirmed that as of today, the number of active, confirmed positive COVID-19 cases is 259 with 40 new cases today. 15,381 Lynn residents have recovered and 199 have died. The total number of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in Lynn since March 21, 2020, including those who have died and recovered, is 15,839. Please visit the City of Lynn COVID-19 Data Dashboard which is updated daily.
City of Lynn Vaccinated Individuals Update & Categorization as Yellow Risk Level Community
The City of Lynn has been categorized for the first time as a “Yellow” community in the State’s Weekly COVID-19 Public Health Report, which tracks the risk level by municipality.
As of Thursday, March 11th, 18,790 Lynn residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 Vaccine, which is approximately 19% of our population. 9,041 Lynn residents have been fully vaccinated, or 9% of our population. This information can be found on the new weekly COVID-19 Municipality Vaccination Data report released today by the State with a new breakdown by Municipal Zip Code. You can find the full report by searching for “Weekly COVID-19 Municipality Vaccination Data Report” at this link.
“Nearly a full year has passed since the Lynn Board of Health declared a Public Health Emergency in the City of Lynn on March 17th, 2020. There has been an incredible amount of work done by our public health and frontline workers, first responders, and the residents of the City of Lynn to diligently follow the appropriate health and safety protocols to stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Mayor Thomas McGee. “It has been an extremely challenging year but being categorized as a ‘Yellow’ community for the first time is a significant step in the right direction. I want to thank our partners at Lynn Community Health Center and Lynn DPH, as well as all of the workers who have put in a tremendous amount of effort to get Lynn residents vaccinated thus far. I am excited for our community to continue trending in a positive direction as we remain committed to doing what we have to, to eliminate the spread of COVID-19 within our community.”
“The Lynn Department Public Health has been working very hard to decrease the number of positive COVID-19 cases by testing, contact tracing and now organizing and offering vaccination clinics for eligible Lynn residents, with a special focus on our most vulnerable populations,” said Public Health Director Michele Desmarais. “I want to thank MJ Duffy Alexander, Jen Almonte and the entire Public Health Staff for their continuous hard work and dedication to alleviate COVID-19 in the City of Lynn.”
Please visit http://www.ci.lynn.ma.us/covid19/resources.shtml#p7GPc1_2 for the most up to date COVID-19 testing information, as well as more detailed information on the State and City of Lynn’s Reopening Guidelines. We will continue to provide regular updates on COVID-19 through the City website (www.lynnma.gov), social media, and the Smart 911 emergency notification system (sign up at www.smart911.com).
If you have a news story that you would like to share, please contact us via email or call 781-780-9460.
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