Town Of Northborough Coronavirus Weekly Update For March 19

Press release from the Town of Northborough:

March 20, 2021

The Town of Northborough's COVID-19 Community Risk level is Moderate (Yellow). According to the State's Weekly Public Health Report released on 3/18, there were 39 new cases over the last two-week period (2/28/2021-3/13/2021), bringing the total case count in town since the pandemic began to 1099 as of 3/16/2021 at 11:59pm. For additional information and resources visit the town's dedicated Covid-19 webpage

Vaccination Information

On Wednesday, March 17th the State released the schedule for all remaining groups in MA’s vaccine plan. Every resident will know when they are eligible for a vaccine.

How It Works:

Preregister for an appointment at one of the seven mass vaccination sites – open to everyone in Massachusetts vaccinesignup.mass.gov Preregistration is only available for mass vaccination locations.

After you preregister, you will receive weekly status updates on your preferred contact method. If you get an appointment somewhere else, please remove your name from the preregistration list by replying to these updates.

They will contact you when there are appointments available for you and provide you with a link to use to select and book your appointment.

Massachusetts receives a limited supply of COVID-19 vaccine doses from the federal government each week. Due to high demand and very limited supply, there are a limited number of appointments available for eligible people at this time.

Please note that per CDC Guidance, we ask that individuals with allergies work directly with their healthcare provider to get vaccinated.

Read about the vaccination plan in Massachusetts:

• Check if you have a certain medical condition
• Use this list of workers to find out which group you are in
• Read more information about the mass vaccination locations

How to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment online

Eligible individuals are encouraged to register online for an appointment using the Commonwealth's COVID-19 Vaccine Finder to find and schedule appointments. There is a lot of competition and appointments fill very quickly. Here are some tips to help you.

• Pre-register, the Governor announced a new pre-registration process that will allow residents to sign up and be contacted when an appointment is available and you will have 24 hours to accept it!
• Be willing to drive. You may need to drive to an appointment site. The 7 Mass Vaccination Sites offer the greatest number of appointments. Many pharmacies in town are not currently offering first doses so make sure to look around and try different zip codes while searching.
• Thursday is the day. The Mass Vaccination sites release appointments weekly on Thursday. Appointments open as early as 7am. The state now offers a waiting room feature so make sure to log in early and hit refresh often. Take the time to become familiar with the state's VaxFinder webpage before Thursday morning.
• Set up alerts and monitor these sites. According to a Boston Magazine article, volunteers have set up a text alert system for CVS and Walgreens appointments, and a Twitter bot programmed to tweet whenever new appointments open up. This resource page also includes some helpful links to other tools, including more sophisticated web monitoring tools, and plug-in that will hit refresh for you. A community of web-savvy Massachusetts residents have begun creating websites aimed at getting the word out. Volunteer-driven websites include MACovidVaccines and VaccinateMA.
• Ask others for help. Your family or friends can help you register. Don't be afraid to ask for help, especially from others who were successful in scheduling appointments or may be more computer savvy. Only share your personal information with trusted friends and remember that insurance is not required so friends and family can just enter no insurance when they get to that part of the registration. Your insurance can be added later when you go to the appointment. A separate initiative called Massachusetts COVID Vaccination Help—which is not an official state program and is run by volunteers - links people looking for a vaccine with people who can help them navigate the system.
• Refresh often. Once you get to the appointment availability webpage on sites like VaxFinder, CVS and Walgreens, keep your browser window open and keep hitting refresh. A place and date may eventually pop up if you have fast fingers. Keep the available appointment screen open and refresh often as appointments may appear if you are persistent.

Do you need help making a COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment?

For those who struggle with the online registration process, family and friends may complete the registration for you. Make sure you have your health insurance card available when registering. Also, staff at the Senior Center (508-393-5035) and Health Department (508-393-5009) are available to assist residents if technology is an issue.

Do you need Transportation or are you Housebound?

Please contact the Senior Center 508-393-5035 to arrange for transportation on the senior center bus to the Northborough clinic, or for any vaccination appointment in Marlborough, Westborough, Shrewsbury, Worcester, Boylston, or Southborough. If you are housebound and wish to receive the vaccine, contact the Senior Center for assistance.

Vaccine Safety

The COVID-19 vaccine is safe, effective and free. Massachusetts launched a new website with information on vaccine safety. Visit "COVID-19 VACCINE SAFETY: TRUST THE FACTS".

For more information on the COVID-19 Vaccine visit www.mass.gov/vaccine

Travel and Gathering Limits Update

Effective Monday, March 22, the Massachusetts Travel Order will be replaced with a Travel Advisory and Gathering Limits will increase. To read the entire press release, click here

• As of Monday, March 22, all visitors entering Massachusetts, including returning residents, are advised to quarantine for 10 days upon their arrival.
• Travelers are exempt from this advisory if they have a negative COVID-19 test result that has been administered up to 72 hours prior to their arrival in Massachusetts. If not obtained before entry to Massachusetts, a test may be obtained after arrival, as long as travelers quarantine until a negative test result has been received.
• Anyone who is returning to Massachusetts after an absence of fewer than 24 hours is exempt from this advisory.
• Workers who enter Massachusetts to perform critical infrastructure functions (as specified by the Federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) are exempt from this advisory while they are commuting to or from or while at work.
• Travelers who are fully vaccinated (i.e. who have received two doses of either the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines OR who have received a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 14 days or more ago) and who do not have symptoms are exempt from this advisory.
• Travelers are encouraged to consult and follow the CDC’s guidelines and requirements for travel: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-during-covid19.html

This press release was produced by the Town of Northborough. The views expressed here are the author’s own.