Latest News:
- July 31: Massachusetts reports 15 new COVID deaths, 304 cases; officials note reporting error for second day in a row (MassLive)
- July 30: Mass. schools could start 2 weeks late after state, teachers union agree on a planning period deal (WBUR)
- July 29: Holyoke Soldiers’ Home suspends family visits after veteran tests positive for Coronavirus again (WBUR)
- July 28: Charlie Baker responds to concerns about COVID-19 uptick in Massachusetts (boston.com)
- July 27: Are most Massachusetts residents wearing masks? (WGBH)
- As Coronavirus cases surged here, FEMA gave Mass. least PPE per case of any state (WBUR)
- Coronavirus infections far higher than confirmed but most Americans still not exposed (WBUR)
- Kids get Coronavirus, but do they spread It? We’ll find out when schools reopen (WGBH)
- For immigrants, disparities in health care access complicate treatment of coronavirus (Metrowest Daily News)
- Even as case count drops, aftereffects of coronavirus persist in Chelsea (boston.com)
- Here’s how Coronavirus contact tracing works in Massachusetts (boston.com)
- Black Medicare patients with COVID-19 nearly 4 times as likely to end up in hospital (WBUR)
- ‘We just want to be heard’: Black immigrant domestic workers in Mass. face confluence of pandemic challenges (WBUR)
- Struggling And Sick: COVID-19 compounds economic distress for vulnerable Mass. residents (WBUR)
- COVID-19 Infections and deaths higher among those with intellectual disabilities (WBUR)
- Residential and Congregate Care Programs 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Guidance (EOHHS)
- How to care for the elderly without putting them at risk of coronavirus (STAT)
- How the coronavirus can and cannot spread (boston.com)
PPE Sources:
NEW! Reopening Guidance from EOHHS: Purchasing Hygienic or Protective Supplies for the Workplace (Mass.gov)
Alliance Test Equipment, Inc. Webster, Mass. Tel: 508.671.9970 www.alliancetesteq.com
Pharmaceutics, Needham, Mass. Tel: 781-449-9200 www.pharmaceuticsusa.com
Pure Green 24, New York, NY. Tel: 800.306.9122 www.puregreen24.com
Best practices and member-contributed protocols:
- NEW April 28: AG guidance on rights of people with disabilities to accomodations in the context of COVID-19 (Mass. AGO)
- Nonprofits and Coronavirus, COVID-19 (National Council of Nonprofits)
- Lessening the risk of coronavirus at nonprofits (NonProfit Times)
- Thrive Support & Advocacy updates
- Parenting Journey’s response to COVID-19
- Updates from the Amherst Survival Center
- COVID-19 Information by and for people with disabilities
- Información de COVID-19 Por y Para Personas con Discapacidades (Spanish language)
Emergency contingency planning, insurance and risk mitigation resources for nonprofits:
(Source: Metrowest Health Foundation)
(Source: USI Insurance)
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) Preparedness and Risk Mitigation: A Resource Guide for Managers and Employees (March 2020)
- Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Frequently Asked Questions About Risk, Supply Chain Issues and Insurance (March 5, 2020)
(Source: Sun Life)
(Source: Relias)
FAQs: What are the symptoms of coronavirus?
Symptoms of this infection include:
- fever
- cough and shortness of breath, and
- in severe cases, pneumonia (fluid in the lungs).
Is there a vaccine? How do I prevent this virus from spreading?
Many of the things you do to help prevent colds and the flu can help protect you against other respiratory viruses:
- Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.
- Cover your coughs and sneezes.
- Stay home if you are sick.
Download a printable fact sheet – this helpful guide can be posted in workplaces and public spaces: Stop the Spread of Germs: Respiratory Diseases like Flu and COVID-19.
There are currently no vaccines available to protect against this novel coronavirus infection. At this time there is no specific treatment for this novel coronavirus. Antiviral medications used to treat other types of viruses are being used but their efficacy is not known at this time.
What do I tell my employees and the people we serve?
CDC-issued guidance for employers to help prevent workplace exposures to illnesses and planning considerations if there are more widespread, community outbreaks of COVID-19: Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to COVID-19. A downloadable and printable poster for the workplace can be found here.
Source: Massachusetts Department of Public Health
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