Coronavirus Liveblog

WBUR news stories that appear in our continually updated liveblog on the coronavirus outbreak in Massachusetts.

President Joe Biden speaks about the government's COVID-19 response in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

What the latest federal COVID-19 funding package could mean for Mass.

Congress is considering a $10 billion package to fund the fight against COVID-19. Here is a look at what another injection of cash could mean for the pandemic response in...

Health

05:01Apr 5, 2022

Moderna: Initial booster data shows good results on omicron

Moderna said lab tests showed the half-dose booster shot increased by 37 times the level of so-called neutralizing antibodies able to fight omicron.

Health

Dec 20, 2021

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Malden. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Curley K-8 School building reopens after COVID-19 outbreak

Students were back in classrooms learning Monday after seven remote learning days.

Education

Nov 22, 2021

On March 31, a cleaning crew suited up with protective gear enters the Soldiers' Home — a state-run long-term residence and health facility in Holyoke where more than a third of its veteran residents have died of COVID-19. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Judge dismisses criminal charges against former Holyoke Soldiers Home leaders

A judge on Monday dropped criminal charges against two of the top officials at the Holyoke Soldiers Home, saying their actions did not lead to the deaths of five veterans...

Health

Nov 22, 2021

A student raises their hand in a classroom at Tussahaw Elementary school on Wednesday, Aug. 4. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

With kids back in class, Mass. parents are largely optimistic, survey finds

Most parents cite the socialization and in-person interactions with teachers as a reason for their optimism.

Education

Nov 17, 2021

Essex County Jail & House of Correction in Middleton. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

COVID-19 cases jump in Mass. jails and prisons after months of minimal spread

After months of reporting few cases of the coronavirus, there are now outbreaks in some of the state's jails and prisons.

Health

Nov 15, 2021

Elementary school students walking between classes are seen waring masks. (LM Otero/AP)

Students in Mass. will need to keep wearing masks through at least Jan. 15

Education officials said they would "continue to evaluate and consider other criteria that could be used in the future to lift the mask requirement based on public health data."

Education

Oct 26, 2021

812 unvaccinated Boston city workers placed on unpaid leave

City officials last week warned approximately 1,400 workers they were out of compliance with the requirement, according to the mayor's office. By Tuesday, 812 people were handed their leave.

Local Coverage

Oct 12, 2021

Merck asks US FDA to authorize promising anti-COVID pill

If cleared by the Food and Drug Administration — a decision that could come in a matter of weeks — it would be the first pill shown to treat COVID-19....

Local Coverage

Oct 11, 2021

Nicholas Capote looks at the first Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine dose at Tufts Medical Center in Boston in December 2020. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Fed report looks at vaccine impacts on state deaths, hospitalizations among seniors

In a new report, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services projected that the immunization may have shielded 900 Bay Staters who are enrolled in Medicare from death, prevented...

Local Coverage

Oct 6, 2021

A finished clean room with stacked chairs in the science room at the Mildred Avenue K-8 School building in Boston's Mattapan, which were being cleaned for the reopening of school on July 9, 2020. (Photo by David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

From COVID tests and contact tracing to angry parents, school nurses say it's hard to keep up

Cathryn Hampson of North Middlesex Regional School District and Linda Cahill of Brockton Public Schools say school nurses go from COVID testing of students to contact tracing, to screening sick...

Local Coverage

07:18Oct 1, 2021

Merck says experimental pill cuts worst effects of COVID-19

If cleared, the drug would be the first pill shown to treat COVID-19, a potentially major advance in efforts to fight the pandemic.

Local Coverage

Oct 1, 2021

Gov. Charlie Baker during a press conference at the State House in Boston on April 26, 2021. (Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Baker Signs COVID Paid Leave Program Extension

A day before the state's COVID-19 emergency paid sick leave program was set to expire, Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday approved an extension of the program until April 1.

Local Coverage

Sep 30, 2021

Mass. Correction Officers Union Sues Over Covid Vaccine Mandate

In the suit, attorneys for the union wrote the vaccine "does not guarantee that employees do not get sick and die from the virus."

Local Coverage

Sep 29, 2021

Gov. Charlie Baker during a June press conference. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Baker Not Fazed By Vax Mandate’s Workforce Impacts

With less than a month until his vaccination mandate for state employees takes effect, Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday he was not worried about creating staffing shortages at the State...

Local Coverage

Sep 27, 2021

A cyclist rides past the Johnston Gate entrance to Harvard Yard. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Harvard Yard Will Close To The Public At Night Amid Pandemic

A Harvard spokesperson says the area will remain closed to the public every evening through mid-October.

Local Coverage

Sep 23, 2021

Buttons and wristbands were handed out to vaccine recipients at the Gillette Stadium COVID-19 vaccination site in 2021. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Mass. Community Colleges Announce All On-Campus Students And Staffers Must Be Vaccinated By 2022

All faculty, staff and students who attend the state's 15 community colleges will need to be inoculated against COVID-19 by January 2022, the presidents of those schools announced Monday. The...

Local Coverage

Sep 20, 2021

Roxbury Community College (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Mass. Community Colleges Say All On-Campus Students, Staffers Must Be Vaccinated By 2022

All faculty, staff and students who attend the state's community colleges will need to be inoculated against COVID-19 by January 2022, the presidents of those schools announced Monday. The 15...

Local Coverage

Sep 20, 2021

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation and Registry of Motor Vehicles office in downtown Boston. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

21 Mass. RMV Offices Bring Back In-Person License, Registration Transactions Halted By Pandemic

Twenty-one registry offices throughout the state will resume in-person license and registration transactions, as well as in-person bulk transactions for car dealers and insurance agencies.

Local Coverage

Sep 20, 2021

A needle and a phial of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are used to prepare a dose. (Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)

Pfizer Says COVID-19 Vaccine Works In Kids Ages 5 To 11

For elementary school-aged kids, Pfizer tested a much lower dose -- a third of the amount in each shot given now. Yet after second doses, children ages 5 to 11...

Local Coverage

Sep 20, 2021