Novel Coronavirus

WBUR's ongoing coverage of the new coronavirus.

Now That I'm Vaccinated, Can I Hug And Kiss My Grandkids? And Other Questions For Post-COVID Life

Ten percent of the Massachusetts population is fully vaccinated against the virus. Does this mean you can hug and kiss your grandchildren? WBUR's Deborah Becker talked to Dr. Shira Doron,...

Domestic Workers Seek Inclusion In Phase 2 Of Vaccine Rollout

The state's roughly 14,000 nannies, au pairs and house cleaners should be included in the second phase of the state's rollout plan, a domestic worker advocacy group says.

Middlesex Superintendents Say Schools Need Clearer Instructions Before Reopening

Watertown Superintendent Deanne Galdston joined WBUR's Morning Edition host Bob Oakes to discuss.

Gov. Baker In Florida After Death In Family

The governor and his wife plan to return to Massachusetts on Monday after attending to family affairs, a spokeswoman said, and will follow all Massachusetts travel protocols.

Language, Socioeconomic Barriers Make Getting Shots To Vulnerable R.I. Residents ‘A Marathon, Not A Sprint’

Health officials in Rhode Island are working to make vaccine distribution more equitable. They’ve produced outreach videos in multiple languages, lowered the age criteria for some hard-hit zip codes, and...

WBUR News

07:55Mar 5, 2021

Steffen Jost, principal of Ostwaldgymnasium in Leipzig, Germany, holds an advanced physics class online from an empty classroom on Oct. 15, 2020. (Jan Woitas/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Don't Be Angry With Teachers For Wanting A Vaccine. Be Furious It's Taken This Long

In the struggling city where I teach, the virus has taken a serious toll, writes Kurt Ostrow. I didn’t get sick, but my coworkers and some of my students did.

Cognoscenti

Mar 5, 2021

The author at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge in Newbury. (Courtesy)

The Pandemic Convinced Me To Stop Coloring My Hair. Here’s The Real Me, Fully Gray

Soon Janet Banks will be vaccinated and she'll return to the salon for a haircut. But, she writes, she'll keep the gray.

Cognoscenti

Mar 5, 2021

Joseph Rose, 66, of Portsmouth, says he was unaware when he signed up for a vaccine that Clinica Esperanza's mission is to serve the hardest-hit neighborhoods. (Gretchen Ertl for The Public's Radio)

Hundreds From Across R.I. Sign Up For COVID-19 Shots Meant For Hard-Hit Neighborhoods

More than 70% of the people vaccinated at a clinic intended for residents of a Providence neighborhood with many immigrants and essential workers over a week in mid-February were seniors...

CommonHealth

04:52Mar 4, 2021

J&J Vaccine Begins Arriving In Massachusetts

Joining WBUR's Morning Edition to talk about this was Dr. Tom Sequist, Mass General Brigham's chief patient experience and equity officer.

CommonHealth

04:40Mar 4, 2021

A nurse at Lawrence General Hospital pre-draws doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in Lawrence on Jan. 11. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Clinical Trials, Speed And Special Technology: Developing The COVID Vaccines

In this excerpt from WBUR's coronavirus newsletter, we dig into the details of how the vaccine clinical trials were conducted, and what made the process so different from other vaccination...

CommonHealth

Mar 4, 2021

On Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, registered nurse Diane Miller pulls on an N-95 mask as she enters the "red zone" before heading into a patient's room in the COVID Acute Care Unit at UW Medical Center in Montlake in Seattle. (Elaine Thompson/AP)

I'm A Psychiatrist Who Treats Health Workers. A Year Into The Pandemic, We're All Suffering From Burnout

About 50% of medical professionals were dealing with burnout before COVID-19, writes Dr. Jessi Gold. The pandemic has made it exponentially worse.

Cognoscenti

02:44Mar 4, 2021

Baker Opens Vaccinations For K-12 Educators, School Staff

WBUR State House reporter Steve Brown talked to All Things Considered host Jack Lepiarz on Wednesday about Gov. Charlie Baker's plan to open up vaccination appointments for educators and others...

WBUR News

03:22Mar 3, 2021

Senate President Spilka On Why State Should Vaccinate Teachers

Senate President Karen Spilka said vaccinating teachers is a prerequisite for the Baker administration's plan to open schools next month. She joined WBUR's Morning Edition host Bob Oakes to talk...

WBUR News

04:20Mar 3, 2021

Gov. Charlie Baker speaks at a mass vaccination site at the Natick Mall on Feb. 24, 2021. (Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)

Baker: Educators, School Staff Can Sign Up For COVID-19 Vaccines Starting March 11

Baker said there will be specific days at state mass vaccination sites for educator appointments, and that he will release more information about that soon.

CommonHealth

04:36Mar 3, 2021

Client Chris Summers listens at a door at Walden House while trying to find his therapist for an appointment at HR360 in San Francisco, Calif., on June 16, 2020. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, those who are homeless or struggling with addiction may find it even harder to find treatment. (Scott Strazzante/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

How The Pandemic Has Made Staying Sober Even More Difficult

Since the pandemic began, people with addictions have fewer and less effective treatment options, write Dr. Mia C. Hazle and Dr. Kevin P. Hill.

Cognoscenti

Mar 3, 2021

Schoolgirl in France in September 1, 1994. (Valerie Winckler/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

COVID And Youth Suicide: How To Navigate Colliding Crises

For parents struggling with suicidal children amidst a deadly pandemic and great uncertainty, there are no easy answers, write child psychiatrists Nancy Rappaport and Meredith Gansner.

Cognoscenti

Mar 2, 2021

Boston Will Bring Back Outdoor Dining By April 1

Last year's program that allowed patio seating on street and sidewalk spaces and offered a streamlined permitting process "brought much needed viability back into our streets and our small businesses,"...

WBUR News

Mar 1, 2021

Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

CDC Chief Doubles Down On Warning As Mass. Opens Up

On the same day that CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky again urged governors and state leaders not to ease up on limits designed to keep the highly infectious virus at...

WBUR News

Mar 1, 2021

A cashier at College Convenience on Huntington Avenue pulls a scratch ticket from the lottery ticket display to sell to customer. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Mass. Lottery Raises Profit Projection By $45 Million

Rather than providing $940 million for the state to use as local aid this budget year, the Lottery now expects that it will be able to provide $985 million by...

WBUR News

Mar 1, 2021

Gov. Charlie Baker speaks at a mass vaccination site at the Natick Mall on Feb. 24, 2021 in Natick, Massachusetts. (Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)

Mass. COVID Vaccination Totals Catch Up With Infections

There are 550,000 people fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday morning, compared to 550,302 total confirmed COVID-19 infections since the start of the pandemic.

CommonHealth

Mar 1, 2021

On Point

Now That I'm Vaccinated, Can I Hug And Kiss My Grandkids? And Other Questions For Post-COVID Life

Domestic Workers Seek Inclusion In Phase 2 Of Vaccine Rollout

Middlesex Superintendents Say Schools Need Clearer Instructions Before Reopening

Gov. Baker In Florida After Death In Family

Language, Socioeconomic Barriers Make Getting Shots To Vulnerable R.I. Residents ‘A Marathon, Not A Sprint’

Don't Be Angry With Teachers For Wanting A Vaccine. Be Furious It's Taken This Long

The Pandemic Convinced Me To Stop Coloring My Hair. Here’s The Real Me, Fully Gray

Hundreds From Across R.I. Sign Up For COVID-19 Shots Meant For Hard-Hit Neighborhoods

J&J Vaccine Begins Arriving In Massachusetts

Clinical Trials, Speed And Special Technology: Developing The COVID Vaccines

I'm A Psychiatrist Who Treats Health Workers. A Year Into The Pandemic, We're All Suffering From Burnout

Baker Opens Vaccinations For K-12 Educators, School Staff

Senate President Spilka On Why State Should Vaccinate Teachers

Baker: Educators, School Staff Can Sign Up For COVID-19 Vaccines Starting March 11

How The Pandemic Has Made Staying Sober Even More Difficult

COVID And Youth Suicide: How To Navigate Colliding Crises

Boston Will Bring Back Outdoor Dining By April 1

CDC Chief Doubles Down On Warning As Mass. Opens Up

Mass. Lottery Raises Profit Projection By $45 Million

Mass. COVID Vaccination Totals Catch Up With Infections