BOSTON (AP) - Unions representing teachers and firefighters in Massachusetts have proposed having firefighters administer coronavirus vaccines to educators, who become eligible to sign up for their shots later this week.
Union leaders are scheduled to meet Wednesday with the state’s Health and Human Services secretary to discuss the plan, which they say would make the process of inoculating teachers faster and more convenient.
“Our educators are working during the day, and the majority of them are already in schools … and they can’t be at a computer all day hitting ‘refresh’ trying to get an appointment,” Beth Kontos, president of the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, told The Boston Globe. “It would be much better if we could deliver our vaccine to school sites.”
Unions have met four times with state Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders already about the proposal, she said.
About 400,000 teachers, school staff and day care workers are eligible to sign up for vaccinations starting Thursday.
The proposal is based on the process that was sued to vaccinate first responders, many of whom got shots in their workplaces.
Kate Reilly, a state COVID-19 Response Command Center spokesperson, said in a statement that Sudders “has recurring meetings” with education officials and unions.
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VIRUS BY THE NUMBERS
The number of newly confirmed coronavirus deaths in Massachusetts rose by 18 on Monday, pushing the state’s confirmed COVID-19 death toll to 16,103 since the start of the pandemic.
The number of newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 increased by about 900 and its confirmed caseload rose to nearly 600,000.
The true number of cases is likely higher because studies suggest some people can be infected and not feel sick.
There were fewer than 700 people reported hospitalized Monday because of confirmed cases of COVID-19, with about 180 in intensive care units.
The average age of those hospitalized was 69. There were an estimated 27,000 people with current active cases of COVID-19 in the state.
The number of probable or confirmed COVID-19 deaths reported in long-term care facilities rose to 8,686.
More than 2.1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Massachusetts, including more than 1.4 million first doses and more than 700,000 second doses. Including the one-shot Johnson & Johnson doses, more than 715,000 individuals have been fully vaccinated in Massachusetts.
More than 2.4 million doses have been shipped to the state.
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UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE BILL
Massachusetts House and Senate leaders said Monday that they’ve reached agreement on a bill aimed at aiding workers and employers as the state tries to jumpstart an economy slowly emerging from the pandemic.
The agreement strikes a balance to ensure businesses can continue to move forward while protecting employees, said Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ronald Mariano, both Democrats.
The deal would provide targeted tax relief to unemployed workers whose income falls below 200% of the poverty line and would waive penalties for missed tax payments on unemployment insurance benefits received in 2020.
The agreement would also ensure all employees have access to paid leave if they are unable to work because they have been infected with the coronavirus, are ordered to quarantine, or need to take time off to get the vaccine.
The bill would also prevent increases in the unemployment insurance rate schedule for 2021 and 2022 giving employers stability as the state continues to recover from the COVID-19 crisis.
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MASKLESS COLLEGE PARTY
Officials at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst are cracking down on students found to have attended a Saturday afternoon party in violation of the school’s COVID-19 safety protocols.
A group of about 200 students attended the party - many maskless - until it was broken up after local residents contacted police, Brandi Hephner LaBanc, vice chancellor for student affairs and campus life, wrote in a note to students.
LaBanc wrote that students identified as being involved - whether hosting or attending - will be issued an interim suspension.
If a student also lives on campus, they will face the additional penalty of interim housing restrictions, she added. That will require the student to move out since they pose an immediate health risk to other residents.
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