Vaccines Arrive At Mass. Nursing Homes Starting Today

Also: Trump signs COVID relief bill; how to celebrate First Night 2021 in Boston ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  [Donate [WBUR]]( [View in Browser](  [WBUR]( December 28, 2020 Good Morning Boston, ☁️ A slight chance of showers after 4 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 50. It's the last Monday of 2020 before we can say goodbye – and good riddance – to this challenging year. Here's what you should know to jumpstart your morning: - Starting today, vaccination teams from CVS and Walgreens are heading to nursing homes and other long-term care facilities in Massachusetts. This is the first of three trips they'll make to these facilities to make sure all residents and staff who want a vaccine get the shot. These vaccines are exceptionally important to this population, which was so devastatingly affected by the coronavirus. [One in seven nursing home residents]( across the state were killed by COVID this year. - The state's second field hospital in Lowell will take a limited number of patients this week as part of its "soft opening." It's expected to begin accepting patients from other parts of the state starting next week, if all runs smoothly. - A reminder: A [new set of reopening rollbacks]( kicked off this past Saturday, and Gov. Charlie Baker is hoping those encourage you to stay home, especially over the next few weeks after the holidays. Right now, the state's seven-day positive test rate is already at 6.3% – more than double the rate reported a month ago. And in non-coronavirus news: - It's the last week for state lawmakers to make change in 2020 and there are still three bills on the table. House Speaker Robert Deleo says that the chamber is planning to override a [veto from Gov. Baker]( of a bill that would expand abortion access across the state. We're also watching for Baker to sign a bill to overhaul policing and a measure to set telehealth practice standards. P.S.– You're not the only one loving that there's less traffic this year. Apparently, ocean cargo ship traffic in the waters around Boston has decreased – and with it, so has the noise from those ships. That could have a positive impact on whales. Want to learn more and fall further down this rabbit hole, like I did this morning? Review [this 2012 study]( listen to this [Radio Boston segment]( and then read tangentially-related story]( about dolphins changing their calls to be heard over all that ocean racket. — Meagan McGinnes [@meaganmcginnes]( newsletters@wbur.org The Rundown [1.](url)[Trump Signs COVID-19 Relief Deal After His Criticism Threatened To Derail It]( Trump's seal of approval, even after bashing the legislation, puts an end to uncertainty over when millions of Americans will receive the economic relief provided in the massive congressional package. [Read more.]( - Related: [Here Is What's In Congress' COVID-19 Relief Package](   #%23%23[Twitter](  #%23%23[Facebook](    2. [With Need Increasing, Cambridge Health Alliance To Add New Psychiatric Inpatient Beds]( Doctors there say emergency rooms, already stretched during the pandemic, are further challenged by so-called "ED boarding" where patients stay in hospital emergency departments until they can find appropriate psychiatric placements. [Read more.]( 3. [Still Disinfecting Surfaces? It Might Not Be Worth It]( "In hospitals, surfaces have been tested near COVID-19 patients, and no infectious virus can be identified." What's found is viral RNA, which is like "the corpse of the virus." [Read more.]( 4. ['It Has Been Life-Threatening': Lawsuits Detail COVID Conditions, Question Why More Prisoners Aren't Released Amid Virus Surge]( Two lawsuits filed in the past week allege that Massachusetts correction officials are endangering prisoners and staff during the pandemic, refusing to take steps that would tamp down infections and protect communities outside the prison walls. [Read more.]( 5. [Nashville Blast Suspect Died In Explosion, Officials Say]( The violent explosion that rocked downtown Nashville, Tenn., on Christmas morning is believed to be a suicide bombing by Anthony Q. Warner, 63. [Read more.]( Support the news Anything Else? - Don't let the door hit you on the way out, 2020. Here's how to celebrate [First Night 2021 in Boston.]( - What defines Boston's cadre of ["artivists" in 2020]( is not just a broad understanding of social movement concepts, but its own movement for hope through art, writes Hassan Ghanny in this 2020 arts review. [WBUR] Your Daily Must Listen [2020 In The Kitchen: The Year We Spent Making, Baking, Frying And Trying]( [Listen]( 2020 IN REVIEW [The Photos That Helped Us Tell The Stories Of 2020]( Best TV Of 2020: Great Shows Brought Us Together In A Difficult, Distanced Year. [Read more.]( 12 Standout Nights At The Virtual Theater, Even If We Weren't In The Room Where They Happened. [Read more.]( Our Favorite Massachusetts Albums From A Year Like No Other. [Read more.]( What We're Reading - The Treasured Diners and Hidden Haunts That Covid-19 Closed for Good ([The New York Times]( - They Went Out for a Bike Ride. They Never Came Home ([Outside Magazine]( - Who Did J.K. Rowling Become? ([The Cut]( Tell Me Something Good [On Point | Your Stories of Kindness]( Last week, On Point explored the [mutual benefit of kindness]( how being kind to others not only helps the recipient of that, but also the giver. And when they reached out to you for your stories of kindness, so many had something to share. 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