Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative Holding Additional Vaccination Clinics

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Health Systems and the Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative are holding additional community vaccination clinics to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in the Berkshires. 
 
A clinic will be held in Pittsfield on Saturday, Jan. 8, and a Williamstown clinic will be held on Friday, Jan. 14.
 
"The Omicron variant continues to spread across the state and nation, and the Berkshires has seen a dramatic rise in positivity," said James Lederer, MD, BHS Chief Medical Officer/Chief Quality Officer. "While Omicron is more transmissible than its predecessors, the best defense is still full vaccination, including the booster. Breakthrough cases are occurring in the community, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Massachusetts Department of Public Health, initial vaccination doses and boosters have been shown to significantly lessen the severity of the illness in those cases, preventing hospitalization."
 
Pittsfield Clinic: Saturday, Jan. 8, 9 am to 2 pm, Berkshire Community College Patterson Field House: Open to anyone now eligible for vaccines and boosters. This includes adults, children 12 and older and the newest age group to be cleared for vaccination, those aged 5 to 11 years old. The clinic will offer Pfizer and Moderna vaccine and boosters for adults and first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine for those aged 5-11.
 
Williamstown Clinic: Friday, Jan. 14, 8 am to 10 am, Williams College Field House, 82 Latham Street: This clinic is for those 12 and over, including adults and provides Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. The hours may be extended depending on registration.
 
Pre-registration is required for both vaccine clinics. To register, visit www.getvaccinatedberkshires.org.
 
 

Tags: BHS,   BMC,   COVID-19,   vaccinations,   


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MassDOT, CSX Agree on Improvements to Support Berkshire Flyer, Passenger Rail

Staff Reports iBerkshires
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The state Department of Transportation and CSX have reached an agreement for local infrastructure improvements that will be a "major step" to making the Berkshire Flyer a permanent seasonal service. 
 
Gov. Maura Healey's administration said the improvements will also help toward the years-long project of expanding passenger rail in Western Massachusetts. 
 
"People in Western Massachusetts have been clear that they want better rail connections, and we're delivering," Healey said in a statement released on Thursday. "This agreement puts the Berkshire Flyer on a path toward permanent seasonal service and invests in the infrastructure we need to keep expanding West-East passenger rail service between Boston and Albany. Combined with new federal funding for modern trains, we're giving people more choices, supporting local businesses and better connecting Western Massachusetts to opportunities across the Northeast."
 
Mayor Peter Marchetti said the Berkshire Flyer is an important asset to the city and that he was grateful for the investment to make it permanent.
 
The Berkshire Flyer was established in 2022, connecting the Berkshires directly to New York City for the first time in a half-century. The Amtrak service was based on the seasonal Cape Cod Flyer with the goal to increase tourism opportunities. The 2026 season expanded service with an additional round-trip, including new opportunities for Berkshire County residents to travel to New York City.
 
The administration also announced that new federal funding awarded to Amtrak for additional modern trainsets will support Compass Rail services, including the Berkshire Flyer and the future Inland Route between Boston, Springfield and New Haven.
 
Under the new agreement with CSX, MassDOT will fund construction of a siding and other track improvements in the Pittsfield area to increase rail capacity and reduce conflicts between passenger and freight operations. MassDOT will also explore the feasibility of a new platform at the Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center.
 
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