STOP THE SPREAD TESTING HAS BEEN EXTENDED THROUGH SPTEMBER 30th
WALK UP COVID-19 Testing Site in Holyoke.
The walk-up COVID testing site is at the War Memorial, located at 310 Appleton Street. The lot at 323 Appleton Street may still be used as parking for the test site. Hours of operation will not change at this time.
Testing will take place at the front doors to the War Memorial.
Members of the public seeking a test will not be allowed to enter the building during testing hours.
The line should start at the front door and wrap around on the Maple Street side of the building, if necessary.
Testing hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 2pm to 6pm. Testing will run until 6/30/21.
DRIVE UP COVID-19 Testing Site in Holyoke
A Stop the Spread test has opened at Holyoke Community College. Testing will run until 6/30/21.
The testing take place at HCC in Lot H.
The test site will still be drive-through.
– The site will operate Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday 7am – 11am. Tuesday and Thursday 2pm -7pm.
– Turnaround time for results is typically 4 days or fewer.
– This test site is first come, first serve. There are no appointments. Please do not call the Health Department or Holyoke Community College to make an appointment.
– The test site at Holyoke Community College is a drive-through only test site. Please do not get out of your vehicle. Signage and Campus Police will be readily apparent to help you access the site easily.
– To help speed up the process, please have your information ready. They will ask for your full name, address (you must be a Massachusetts resident), phone number and email address.
– There is no cost for the testing. You do not need a referral, nor do you need to be symptomatic.
– The test style will be the less invasive swab in the lower nostril. The older style that required further insertion of the swab will not be used.
– If you have previously tested positive, DPH and CDC guidelines do not recommend getting retested at this time.
– If you are acutely symptomatic, particularly if you have a high fever, consider scheduling a test with your Primary Care Physician.
– Information on all of the Stop the Spread test sites across the State can be found at: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/stop-the-spread
Gov. Baker Addresses Expected Vaccine Rollout for Kids 12-15
At his COVID vaccine briefing Monday, Gov. Charlie Baker addressed how he thinks the vaccine rollout may go for children 12-15 — just hours before federal officials approved the Pfizer vaccine for them.
Speaking after a tour of the Manet Community Health Center vaccination site in Quincy, Baker said that he expects to see pop-up vaccination sites in schools and supermarket parking lots.
“You really want to catch people where they might be,” Baker said.
Within two hours, the Food and Drug Administration gave the green light to the vaccine for the age group. There was no indication Baker had advanced word of the decision. Read the full story here: https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/gov-baker-to-give-covid-19-vaccination-update-3/2376046/
Charlie Baker says Massachusetts will update reopening plans ‘early next week’
“Please stay safe while we prepare next steps to return to our new normal.”
Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration is changing its plan to phase out COVID-19 restrictions in Massachusetts over the coming months, following the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance saying that fully vaccinated people can resume normal activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing.
Calling the new CDC guidelines “great news,” Baker tweeted Friday that his administration will “be updating our reopening plans early next week.”
He also noted that Massachusetts is on track to reach its goal of vaccinating over 4 million adults “soon.”
“Please stay safe while we prepare next steps to return to our new normal,” the governor wrote.
As of Thursday, 4,099,006 people in Massachusetts had gotten at least one shot of one of the three approved COVID-19 vaccines, and 3,088,699 had either received both required shots of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or one shot of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Baker said earlier this week that Massachusetts was on track to reach its goal of vaccinating 4.1 million adults by early June, crediting the state’s progress with the rollout for the steady downward trend in COVID-19 infection and hospitalization rates this spring.
The governor’s tweet Friday comes after his administration reminded the public that the state’s mask mandate does remain in effect, at least for the time being, despite the CDC’s updated advice. Baker’s face covering order requires everyone over the age of 5 to wear a mask in all indoor public settings, as well as outside if they can’t consistently stay at least six feet away from other non-household members.
Under its updated guidelines Thursday, the CDC says that people who are at least two weeks out from their last required vaccine dose can safely resume activities — inside or outside — without wearing a mask or physically distancing, “except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.” https://www.boston.com/news/coronavirus/2021/05/14/massachusetts-update-covid-reopening-plans
As of Wednesday, May 13th, there were a total of 5663 confirmed cases in Holyoke.
Weekly Public Health Report (Updated Wednesday) Contains town-by-town numbers, long-term care facility information, and more: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-response-reporting#covid-19-weekly-public-health-report-
Massachusetts comprehensive daily “dashboard” illustrating the spread of this virus across regions and demographics: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-response-reporting#covid-19-daily-dashboard-
Testing has a turnaround time of 1-5 days and many cases are being clinically diagnosed (no testing or reporting involved). All are advised to behave as though they are carriers of Covid-19.
The curve we need to flatten: County numbers graphed over time can be found here: https://www.wmasscovid.com/
As of yesterday there were 15,833 estimated active cases in MA with 616 new cases. There were 9 new deaths. The average age of cases that were hospitalized is 55 years old. The age range trends show the age range groups with the highest number of current positive cases. Current trends for the 3 highest cases by age are 0 -19 year olds followed by 20-29 year olds, followed by 30-39 year olds. All together the state has a 7-day average positivity rate of 1.15%.