Vaccines Coming To Decimated Mass. Nursing Homes

Also: concerns about supplies for coronavirus testing ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  [View in Browser]( | [Donate [WBUR]]( [WBUR](  [WBUR]( December 22, 2020 Good afternoon and apologies! We normally send you this newsletter on Mondays, but were overtaken by the thundering hoofbeats of the coronavirus vaccine cavalry arriving in town. But at least the reason for this tardiness is a happy one: a flood of vaccine-related news in Massachusetts, including WBUR's Martha Bebinger's stream of reports on the arrival of the Moderna vaccine and the vaccinations spreading from hospitals to community health centers and beyond. No sector in Massachusetts has been harder hit by the coronavirus than residents of nursing homes. The "decimated" in the subject line doesn't even capture the losses: It means one in every 10 people die, but COVID-19 killed a staggering one in every seven nursing home residents statewide this year. So it's particularly welcome news that the state's long-term care sector, including assisted living, is gearing up for vaccinations beginning on Monday. P.S.– We'll be dark next week, but back on Jan. 4. And here's one final [NPR nag]( – oops, I mean helpful reminder! – about staying inside your bubble no matter how festive the season. Wishing you wonderful holidays! — Carey Goldberg, CommonHealth editor newsletters@wbur.org Must Reads url[Mass. Long-Term Care Facilities Prepare For Coronavirus Vaccines After Months Of Isolation And Loss]( The plan is for tens of thousands of doses of Pfizer's vaccine to be given to staff and residents at Massachusetts long-term care facilities starting next Monday through the end of February. The vaccines will be administered by two giant pharmacy chains: CVS and Walgreens. [Read more.](   #%23%23[Twitter](   #%23%23[Facebook](    [Vaccines Are Boosting Hope In The Pandemic. But New Worries About Testing Supplies Are Rising]( Some health care providers, especially those serving lower-income communities, expressed worries that despite the dramatically changed landscape for testing, widespread and quick testing remains an elusive goal. It's yet another area, they said, in which the pandemic is highlighting societal inequities. [Read more.](  [Health Care Leaders: It's The Most Wonderful, And Dangerous Time Of Year]( "It may be the 'most wonderful time of the year' as Andy Williams famously sang in 1963, but during the pandemic this holiday season is also the most dangerous," the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association wrote in its weekly newsletter. [Read more.](  Support the news [Low Demand For Antibody Drugs Against COVID-19]( These drugs are designed to prevent people recently diagnosed with COVID-19 from ending up in the hospital. But hospitals are finding it cumbersome to use these medicines, which must be given by IV infusion. And some patients and doctors are lukewarm about drugs that have an uncertain benefit. [Read more.](  [New Coronavirus Variant Closes UK Borders, Leaving One Truck Driver Stranded]( Countries in Europe are concerned about a new strain of the coronavirus that authorities say may spread more easily. France has banned trucks from the United Kingdom for a period of 48 hours while the new COVID-19 variant is assessed. [Read more.]( What We're Reading The stunning success of mRNA vaccines against the coronavirus is raising hopes that messenger RNA could be the key to treatments for many other diseases as well. But past efforts under way for years haven't run as smoothly, as Science Magazine reports in "[Messenger RNA gave us a COVID-19 vaccine. Will it treat diseases too?]( Still, the vaccine's success adds momentum to those efforts: "The race for an mRNA vaccine against COVID-19 hasn’t solved the delivery and dosing issues mRNA therapies will face, but it may have smoothed their path in other ways." I recommend [reading the full story here.]( “ We can’t just call up the vaccine supply store and say, ‘Hey, we would like a thousand doses.' — Dr. Helen Chen, chief medical officer, Hebrew Senior Life "[Mass. Long-Term Care Facilities Prepare For Coronavirus Vaccines After Months Of Isolation And Loss]( ICYMI [A Single Vaccine Dose Appears To Protect Against COVID-19. So Why Are We Giving Two?]( A single injection of either of the two-dose vaccines appears to provide strong protection against the coronavirus. Should the nation vaccinate fewer people with the best protection possible, or provide twice the number of people with a single shot, covering more of the population but with slightly weaker protection?      Did you know the Vatican [says it's morally OK]( to get a coronavirus vaccine, even if fetal tissue was involved in its development? 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📨 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news [WBUR]( [WBUR][WBUR]( [95289b97-66e8-43d4-a174-3bc3520a79a9.png]( [Instagram](  [Twitter]( [Facebook]( Want to change how you receive these emails? [Stop getting this newsletter by updating your preferences.]( I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. [Unsubscribe from all newsletters](. Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2020 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved. You signed up for this newsletter at wbur.org. 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