What to know about Boston's new vax requirements

Also: Masks, testing & holiday gatherings amid omicron; memorable medical breakthrough stories of 2021 [View in browser](    [❤️]( December 20, 2021 Hello CommonHealth reader, Phew, we’ve almost made it to the end of the year. For just a moment, let’s set aside omicron news and look back over what’s happened in 2021. It’s been another year packed with medical breakthroughs, many happening right here in Massachusetts. As I went back to re-listen and re-read, I started compiling a list of stories that struck me as worth revisiting. Here are four of them: - After initially faltering in the COVID-19 [vaccine rollout]( Massachusetts switched strategies and really turned things around. The state became among the most vaccinated places in the country. - [Provincetown]( dominated the news after its Fourth of July festivities became a superspreader of the delta variant. It was thanks to a citizen-scientist, and an engaged and helpful gay community that the CDC was able to trace the outbreak and learn from it. - It’s been nearly 20 years since there was a [new Alzheimer’s drug](. That changed this year when Cambridge-based Biogen saw the FDA approve its drug, which is the first medication shown to remove amyloid, the substance found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. But it wasn’t the celebratory reception that the company was hoping for. The approval has been controversial because the drug has not yet proven to improve brain function in patients, and the drug has yet to reach patients in large numbers. - One of the leading theories about the origins of the omicron variant is that it mutated inside an immunosuppressed host where it learned to avoid the body’s typical defenses against infection. Way back at the beginning of the year[, a patient at Brigham and Women’s Hospital]( gave doctors and public health official a peek at what might be in store. I can't wait to see what medical advances the next year will bring – in particular, I'll be watching what else [mRNA technology]( might be used for! P.S.– We will be taking a newsletter break next week, but this newsletter will be back in the New Year. I hope everyone has a chance to relax and recuperate! Safe and happy holidays, Gabrielle Emanuel Health reporter [Follow]( Support the news  This Week's Must Reads [You'll need a vaccine to go inside Boston restaurants, entertainment venues and gyms]( The requirement, which begins Jan. 15, will apply to three categories of businesses: indoor dining (including bars and restaurants), indoor fitness; and indoor entertainment and event venues (including sports arenas, theaters, museums). [Read more.]( [You'll need a vaccine to go inside Boston restaurants, entertainment venues and gyms]( The requirement, which begins Jan. 15, will apply to three categories of businesses: indoor dining (including bars and restaurants), indoor fitness; and indoor entertainment and event venues (including sports arenas, theaters, museums). [Read more.]( [How to think about masks, testing and holiday gatherings amid omicron spike]( "My key message to everybody would be that this is possibly the most dangerous time in the course of the pandemic to get COVID," says Shan Soe-Lin, managing director of Boston nonprofit Pharo Global Health Advisors. [Read more.]( [How to think about masks, testing and holiday gatherings amid omicron spike]( "My key message to everybody would be that this is possibly the most dangerous time in the course of the pandemic to get COVID," says Shan Soe-Lin, managing director of Boston nonprofit Pharo Global Health Advisors. [Read more.]( [Move more, sit less and celebrate outside this holiday season]( The holidays don't have to be defined by lazy days in your pajamas. Discover 11 festive ways get your body moving and get outdoors this year. [Read more.]( [Move more, sit less and celebrate outside this holiday season]( The holidays don't have to be defined by lazy days in your pajamas. Discover 11 festive ways get your body moving and get outdoors this year. [Read more.]( [Inside a New Hampshire hospital overwhelmed by COVID]( COVID infections are surging in much of the country, and New Hampshire is at the epicenter. More than half of patients who show up in the Monadnock Community Hospital ER are testing positive, and doctors are having a tough time finding beds for all the patients who need more specialized care. [Read more.]( [Inside a New Hampshire hospital overwhelmed by COVID]( COVID infections are surging in much of the country, and New Hampshire is at the epicenter. More than half of patients who show up in the Monadnock Community Hospital ER are testing positive, and doctors are having a tough time finding beds for all the patients who need more specialized care. [Read more.]( [Hospital and nurses union reach deal to end 9-month strike]( Nurses at St. Vincent Hospital have reached a tentative agreement to end one of the longest nurse strikes in state history. [Read more.]( [Hospital and nurses union reach deal to end 9-month strike]( Nurses at St. Vincent Hospital have reached a tentative agreement to end one of the longest nurse strikes in state history. [Read more.]( What We're Reading 📚 Lab research obviously plays a crucial role in medical advancements, but scientists and researchers spend a whole lot of time outside of the lab. Sometimes, as much as half of a scientist’s time is devoted to writing grants and chasing money to buy equipment, pay salaries and do the experiments they want to do. It’s a frustrating system for many involved — and leading experts say it hurts creativity and progress. As of this past week, there’s a new model that could upend the way research gets funded. [Kelsey Piper, of Vox, reported on the Arc Institute]( a brand-new biomedical research institute. Several universities are teaming up with some tech giants to fund researchers for eight years to do whatever they want. That’s compared to the current model where researchers get funding for only a few years to address a very specific problem. As Piper says, this only helps a tiny fraction of researchers, but maybe it can show what’s possible. "This is possibly the most dangerous time in the course of the pandemic to get COVID...And if you're going to be exposed, the safest way to do that is with [a booster shot] and a mask on your face." — Shan Soe-Lin, "[How to think about masks, testing and holiday gatherings amid omicron spike]( ICYMI [How to get a COVID test in Massachusetts]( As COVID-19 cases rise during the holiday season, health experts and public official are recommending that people get tested before traveling or gathering with their loved ones. [Read more.]( [How to get a COVID test in Massachusetts]( As COVID-19 cases rise during the holiday season, health experts and public official are recommending that people get tested before traveling or gathering with their loved ones. [Read more.]( Did you know... Tuesday is the [winter solstice]( for the northern hemisphere? That means from then onwards, we are on our way to longer and longer days. Finally, something to look forward to in the midst of this dark winter! 😎 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     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 WBUR editorial newsletters [here.](  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2021 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.