Some workers with COVID had to fight for pay

Also: A COVID-funding bill on the fast track; how to get your free at-home tests from feds [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  January 18, 2022 🌬️ Partly sunny, with a high near 45. Still breezy. Good Morning Boston, Did you order your at-home COVID-19 test kits from the feds yet? If not, keep reading to learn more. Because public health experts agree more testing is a key factor in controlling the spread of COVID. So, yes, [this was the energy]( was feeling all day yesterday. Here's what else you should know this morning: - The big news we're watching today: A COVID-19-related funding bill is hitting Beacon Hill today – and it's likely to pass today, too. This bill from the House is pretty packed. It includes $55 million for COVID testing, youth vaccination and school mask supplies. It would give municipalities the ability to conduct remote public meetings and notarizations. Towns and cities would also be given some flexibility so that retired teachers and other public employees could go back to work to help ease staffing shortages. - A provision unrelated to COVID was also tacked on: It sets the primary election day in Massachusetts to Sept. 6. - The Senate is expected to take up the bill next week, and it should hit Gov. Charlie Baker's desk soon after that. - It will soon be easier for Massachusetts schools to test staff and students weekly. The state is [making at-home rapid coronavirus tests available]( Any schools that opt into the program can discontinue contact tracing and the test-and-stay program. The goal is to keep learning in person and let school nurses focus on overall COVID management. - Schools that opt into the program will start seeing tests for staff next week, and tests for students whose families opt in by Jan. 31. - Speaking of at-home COVID tests, you can now place your orders with the U.S. Postal Service to get [free – yes, free! – test kits sent right to your door.]( Each household can order four at-home tests, and the feds will begin shipping in late January. [Order yours here](. FWIW, my sister ordered ours yesterday and she said the process was super quick and easy. (There will also be a phone number shared soon for those who don't have access to a computer or high-speed internet.) - Some people living in apartment buildings reported they couldn't place their order because it showed someone from that "household" had already ordered the tests. It's not clear if this was a widespread issue, but if it happened to you, please reply to this email and let us know. - By the numbers: We have some promising and not-so-promising news. The seven-day positive test rate is a little more than 17%, which is still high but down six points from its peak earlier this month. Fingers crossed this trend continues! However, hospitalizations are a lagging indication of a surge and right now there are nearly 3,200 COVID patients in hospitals around the state, up 35% from two weeks ago. In non-COVID news: - If you have a flight out of Boston today, be sure to check its status. Verizon and AT&T are[turning on 5G service today nationwide]( except near airports and runways. But some airlines are cancelling or rerouting flights anyway out of precaution. Why is this troublesome for airlines? They worry high tech radio signals could interfere with navigational systems on some aircraft, and that's why the move to 5G has been delayed a few times before. - A Harvard Law School clinic is [suing]( officials from ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for failing to release records about the use of solitary confinement in immigration detention facilities. How long have these agencies had to comply? More than four years, according to the suit filed in Boston federal court. P.S.– The [same woman]( who made a website to find COVID vaccine appointments when they first became available and were hard to find has now made [a website for people to find rapid tests](. People helping people – we love to see it! Meagan McGinnes Senior Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown ['Health care heroes really got the shaft': Some workers with COVID had to fight for pay]( Employers are required under state law to file workers' compensation claims, but COVID opened up a big gray area. Companies and insurers are taking advantage of the complexity. [Read more.]( ['Health care heroes really got the shaft': Some workers with COVID had to fight for pay]( Employers are required under state law to file workers' compensation claims, but COVID opened up a big gray area. Companies and insurers are taking advantage of the complexity. [Read more.]( [Supreme Court justices suggest Boston should have flown 'Christian flag']( Supreme Court justices seemed to have little doubt Tuesday that Boston was wrong to refuse to fly a banner described as a Christian flag outside City Hall. [Read more.]( [Supreme Court justices suggest Boston should have flown 'Christian flag']( Supreme Court justices seemed to have little doubt Tuesday that Boston was wrong to refuse to fly a banner described as a Christian flag outside City Hall. [Read more.]( [A year after mobilizing for Biden, young supporters feel let down on immigration]( Young people helped mobilize voters for President Biden. Many now feel Biden hasn't pushed hard enough to deliver on the immigration goals he set. [Read more.]( [A year after mobilizing for Biden, young supporters feel let down on immigration]( Young people helped mobilize voters for President Biden. Many now feel Biden hasn't pushed hard enough to deliver on the immigration goals he set. [Read more.]( [Fauci says COVID-19 won't go away like smallpox, but will more likely become endemic]( The White House's top medical adviser says the virus won't go away entirely. Instead, it should eventually hit a level where it "doesn't disrupt our normal social, economic and other interactions." [Read more.]( [Fauci says COVID-19 won't go away like smallpox, but will more likely become endemic]( The White House's top medical adviser says the virus won't go away entirely. Instead, it should eventually hit a level where it "doesn't disrupt our normal social, economic and other interactions." [Read more.]( [Jan. 6 panel subpoenas Rudy Giuliani and other lawyers tied to false election claims]( The panel wants to hear from lawyers who advanced former President Donald Trump's false claims of election fraud. [Read more.]( [Jan. 6 panel subpoenas Rudy Giuliani and other lawyers tied to false election claims]( The panel wants to hear from lawyers who advanced former President Donald Trump's false claims of election fraud. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - The Grammy's have been [rescheduled]( to April 3, and it will be hosted in a new venue — the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. - From legacy artists whose careers took off in Boston to locals who have risen within their communities, here are [six music releases you should listen to this winter.]( - The demand for lithium – a key element in batteries for everything from cell phones to electric vehicles – is soaring. And although this technology will be central to the transition away from carbon-based energy, writes Frederick Hewett [in this commentary]( there is an ecological price to pay. What We're Reading 📚 - They relied on rapid coronavirus tests to gather safely. Some wish they hadn’t ([The Washington Post]( - Behind the Movement to Create More Black Video Game Characters ([The New York Times]( - What Lies Beneath ([Vanity Fair]( Tell Me Something Good [NHL pioneer O'Ree says having Bruins retire jersey an honor]( Willie O’Ree became the NHL's first Black player on Jan. 18, 1958. Sixty-four years later, the Boston Bruins will retire his No. 22 jersey. He'll be the 12th player in team history to have that honor. [Read more.]( [NHL pioneer O'Ree says having Bruins retire jersey an honor]( Willie O’Ree became the NHL's first Black player on Jan. 18, 1958. Sixty-four years later, the Boston Bruins will retire his No. 22 jersey. He'll be the 12th player in team history to have that honor. [Read more.]( Before you go: ["Make way for Willie."]( Correction: In yesterday's newsletter, we incorrectly stated Colorado Public Radio reporter Vic Vela found out he was HIV+ in the 1990s. He was actually diagnosed in 2006, and said he grew up in the 1990s, when the diagnosis was considered a death sentence. We regret the error. 😎 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.