Also: MGH's Walensky picked by Biden to lead CDC; Mass. is expanding its testing sites
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 [WBUR]( December 7, 2020 Good afternoon, Gov. Baker just announced that as of Friday, the state's hospitals will be curtailing elective inpatient procedures that could impact staffing and beds, but the reduction will be smaller than during the spring surge. In short, check with your doctor if you have something scheduled. Also just in: The state is [ramping up coronavirus testing]( in the face of high demand. It will add sites in New Bedford, Lynn and Framingham, and in western Mass. and Barnstable County on Cape Cod. And it will give community health centers and hospitals 150,000 rapid antigen tests – the type that is less sensitive but offers results in 15 minutes. Given the surge's new momentum since Thanksgiving, why isn't Baker clamping down on activities like indoor dining? As usual, the governor says his team is keeping a close eye on the data, and he promises to say more about possible restrictions soon. He plans to lay out the state's coronavirus vaccine plan this Wednesday. So the local coronavirus news isn't great. But at the federal level, the [news]( Mass. General's Dr. Rochelle Walensky has been tapped to lead the CDC is prompting many thrilled tweets from Boston and beyond. One particularly enthused example comes from Dr. Katy Stephenson at Beth Israel Deaconess: "WOWWW [@RWalensky]( for the [@CDCgov]( this is so unbelievable!! I just shouted in my house and scared my whole family!!!" — Carey Goldberg, CommonHealth editor
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url['She Is The Full Package': A Fellow Infectious Disease Specialist On MGH Expert's Appointment To CDC](
A colleague calls her "a spectacular scientist" and "someone who truly understands the word 'equity,' understands how we're going to get out of this pandemic in an equitable manner." [Read more.](
  #%23%23[Twitter](  #%23%23[Facebook](    [What To Do If You Test Positive For The Coronavirus This Winter](
If you've gotten a positive test result, here's advice from doctors about how to handle a mild to moderate, or even asymptomatic, case on your own — and when you need to seek emergency help. Step 1: Isolate yourself from others as quickly as you can. [Read more.]( Â [Mass. Curbing Some Elective Inpatient Procedures, Expanding Test Sites]( Baker said the rise in infections is not only filling available bed space, but leading to shortages in front line health care staff who have either contracted the virus or been exposed. "We can't afford to continue straining the hospital system at this rate," Baker said. [Read more.]( Â
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[How A Health Leader Is Working Against Vaccine Skepticism In The Latino Community](
Skepticism about the pending coronavirus vaccines remains, including in Black and Latino communities. Some members of these communities have been volunteering for clinical trials to show the vaccine is safe, including Hilda Ramirez, executive director of the Latino Education Institute at Worcester State University. [Read more.](
 [He Designed A Smartwatch App To Help Stop His Dad's Nightmares](
The idea, Tyler Skluzacek says, was to use technology to imitate something service dogs were already doing — recognizing a traumatic nightmare and then nudging or licking the person to disrupt the bad dream. He thought the smartwatch could do this with a gentle vibration. [Read more.]( What We're Reading
Concerns about equity related to the coming coronavirus vaccines tend to focus on issues of trust and how to persuade people in lower-income communities to get the vaccine. But even if there's a change in mindset and disinformation is debunked among these communities, there are also equity issues centering around access. Richer folks, including celebrities, have managed to get more access for testing, so why wouldn't that also be true of vaccines? STAT explores the topic in " ['There Absolutely Will Be A Black Market': How The Rich And Privileged Can Skip The Line For Covid-19 Vaccines.]( One point that seems worthy of debate: In New York and Illinois, financial services workers fall into the "essential" category, according to the article. [Read the full story here.]( “ That, I think, may have a lot to do with the fact that people look at Anthony Fauci, look at the doctors in their community and say, 'You know, that is amazing. This is a way for me to make a difference.' — Kristen Goodell, associate dean of admissions at the school of medicine at BU
[" 'Fauci Effect' Drives Record Number Of Medical School Applications"]( ICYMI
[More Mass. Residents Than Ever Have The Coronavirus. Where They Caught It Is The Mystery]( Without knowing where people are getting infected, it’s nearly impossible to identify settings where transmission is most likely to happen. And Dr. Benjamin Linas, an epidemiologist at Boston University, says that leaves public health officials with limited interventions to stop the spread of COVID-19.
     Did you know it's looking like [microwave radiation is the likeliest cause]( of weird symptoms that hit U.S. diplomats in Cuba and China? 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](.
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