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Baker: Vaccination Program Working

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BOSTON — Gov. Charlie Baker touted the number of vaccinations completed in the state after receiving his first dose of the  Pfizer vaccine on Tuesday.
 
"Over 4 million doses of vaccine had been administered here in the commonwealth and today we'll hit the milestone of having over one and a half million people who are fully vaccinated. We're making significant progress on vaccinating our residents," Baker said at his COVID-19 update at the mass vaccination site at the Hynes Convention Center. "We obviously have more work to do. But we're making significant progress on vaccinating a larger and larger share of our population, which will help us get closer to returning to normal."
 
The state has now administered at least one dose to 82 percent of residents age 75 and older and to 4 percent of Black residents and 16 percent of Hispanics, which the governor says leads the national average. More than 2.5 million have received a first dose.
 
The age group eligible for vaccinations has dropped to 55 and older and more qualifying health conditions have been added in line with the updated guidelines of the U.S. Centers of Disease Control. This adds about 1 million more residents to the eligibility list.
 
This week, the state received 444,930 first and second doses as part of the state allocation not including the 385,000 doses to federally supported pharmacy programs, health centers and community vaccination center, including at the Hynes. These numbers include a one-time shipment of 108,800 J&J vaccines.
 
First doses and second dose state allocations (total doses), were distributed among providers as follows:
  • Health systems and health care providers (excluding community health centers): 163,960
  • Regional Collaboratives and Local Boards of Health: 118,230
  • Mass vaccination locations: 115,890
  • Community Health Centers state allocation only: 31,350
  • Retail pharmacies (non-CVS) state allocation only: 4,500
  • Mobile Clinics supporting long-term care facilities, congregate care, affordable/low-income senior housing and homebound individuals: 10,000
Baker noted the number of infections in older people has dropped significantly but cautioned that hospitals are seeing rising cases of patients in their 30s, 40s and 50s. This is not the time for people to let down their guard, he said.
 
"This has been a year unlike any other and it's been filled with a tremendous amount of heartbreak and anxiety and lost opportunities and, and at the same time tremendous acts of kindness and grace," said Baker. "But I think for all of us, there's simply no question that the arrival in such a short period of time I'm a vaccine that works is a giant sigh of relief. And I have heard the same thing from friends of mine had been vaccinated. I heard it from my father who said that getting vaccinated was for him, it was the first signal the first sign that he might actually be able to hug his grandchildren."

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Macksey Updates on Eagle Street Demo and Myriad City Projects

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

The back of Moderne Studio in late January. The mayor said the city had begun planning for its removal if the owner could not address the problems. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Moderne Studio building is coming down brick by brick on Eagle Street on the city's dime. 
 
Concerns over the failing structure's proximity to its neighbor — just a few feet — means the demolition underway is taking far longer than usual. It's also been delayed somewhat because of recent high winds and weather. 
 
The city had been making plans for the demolition a month ago because of the deterioration of the building, Mayor Jennifer Macksey told the City Council on Tuesday. The project was accelerated after the back of the 150-year-old structure collapsed on March 5
 
Initial estimates for demolition had been $190,000 to $210,000 and included asbestos removal. Those concerns have since been set aside after testing and the mayor believes that the demolition will be lower because it is not a hazardous site.
 
"We also had a lot of contractors who came to look at it for us to not want to touch it because of the proximity to the next building," she said. "Unfortunately time ran out on that property and we did have the building failure. 
 
"And it's an unfortunate situation. I think most of us who have lived here our whole lives and had our pictures taken there and remember being in the window so, you know, we were really hoping the building could be safe."
 
Macksey said the city had tried working with the owner, who could not find a contractor to demolish the building, "so we found one for him."
 
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