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Rick Buaâs diagnosis a year ago was momentous for local public health officials, a sign that the virus was spreading and their lives were about to be turned upside down. His vaccination Thursday marks another turning point: For the first time, public health experts can see a path back to normal life.
âOn the West Coast, they do have community level transmission,â Dr. Monica Bharel, the stateâs public health commissioner, said March 4. âAt this point, we donât have evidence of that here in Massachusetts.â
Three days later, Buaâs test came back positive. Among the 13 cases identified in Massachusetts, he was the only one without a link to a known outbreak. âI was nowhere near the first patient that had the virus,â he said. âThe virus was here last winter. But I was the first person [in Massachusetts] who tested positive for community spread.â
Vaccine Rollout in Massachusetts Continues Its Rocky Pace
Taking Shots
Rob Whitten, executive director of the Leavitt Family Jewish Home, gets vaccinated in January. For the public, the process has been thornier.
February was the month all seniors in Massachusetts would finally be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Instead, it was a month of frustration.
“It’s simply inexcusable, in a state with the healthcare infrastructure and high-tech reputation we have, that the vaccine rollout was allowed to fall behind every other state so quickly,” state Sen. Eric Lesser told BusinessWest, calling the state’s scheduling website “an obstacle course with all these links and hoops to go through, instead of making it simple, like Travelocity or KAYAK or Open Table.”
Massachusetts hospitals can resume elective inpatient procedures, officials say masslive.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from masslive.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Vaccine Rollout in Massachusetts Continues Its Rocky Pace businesswest.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from businesswest.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.