NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The state has released the expanded sites for COVID-19 vaccinations, including eight in Berkshire County.
Phase 2 of the vaccination rollout begins Monday, Feb. 1, by appointment. Currently there are three "mass vaccination" sites, including one in Springfield. There is expected to be 165 vaccination sites and seven mass vaccination locations by mid-February at public and private entities.
The first priority group in Phase 2 will be residents 75 and older who can begin to schedule vaccination appointments on Wednesday.
The locations in Berkshire County are, with links to online signup, the following:
All locations are open to eligible populations, including those who fall in the Phase 1 rollout and who have not yet received the vaccine.
The vaccines used are expected to be the Moderna and, for the larger sites at BCC, St. Elizabeth's and DuBois Middle School, the Pfizer vaccine, both of which require two shots a few weeks apart for full coverage.
Those who fall in the Phase 2 category, by priority, are:
Individuals 75 and older
Individuals 65 and older or anyone with two or more comorbidities
Early education and K-12 workers, transit, utility, food and agriculture, sanitation, public works, and public health workers, and
Individuals with one comorbidity.
The exact date for each priority group to get the vaccine will depend on the vaccine supply from the federal government and the uptake and demand for vaccine appointments. Due to high demand and constrained vaccine supply, COVID-19 Vaccination appointments are limited.
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State Education Board Approves Push for In-School Learning
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
DESE Commissioner Jeffrey Riley explains the reasoning for getting students back in classrooms and off remote learning.
BOSTON — Schools across the state are being ordered to resume in-classroom instruction as soon as possible, beginning with elementary grades on April 5.
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted 8-3 on Friday afternoon to accord DESE Commissioner Jeffrey Riley authority to change requirements for learning time that would not include remote learning.
Families would still have the ability to remain remote for the rest of this school year and some schools may be able to get waivers, but the state would have the ability to hold back Chapter 70 education funds for schools out of compliance.
The vote followed hours of testimony from medical professionals, educators and parents that veered from strongly encouraging the return to school as an important to students' health, well-being and educational needs to cautions that many schools did not have the ability to provide adequate spacing or COVID-19 precautions and calls for school employees to be vaccinated prior to any return.
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted 8-3 on Friday afternoon to accord DESE Commissioner Jeffrey Riley authority to change requirements for learning time that would not include remote learning.
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Mayor Thomas Bernard, just hours before the meeting, gave an update on the completed audit of the hydrant system and proposed a borrowing of $300,000 to have the current 55 or so nonfunctioning hydrants replaced.
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Baker said the advent of vaccinations and declining infection rate is not a reason for Bay Staters to "let down their guard" around the novel coronavirus. Nor, he said, is his administration's decision starting this week to lift some of the restrictions it put into effect in the fall.
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Mayor Thomas Bernard is asking the City Council to borrow $300,000 to fix the fire hydrant system.
In a press release on Wednesday afternoon, he also provided an update on the emergency survey undertaken after two serious fires highlighted the continuing deficiencies in the city's hydrant... click for more
The $622,000 project is part of the state Department of Transportation's Safe Routes to School initiative and is being funded through the Transportation Improvement Program.
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