City Of Framingham: COVID-19 Update, Monday, April 5

Framingham MA

05 April, 2021

4:31 PM

Description

Press release from the City of Framingham: April 5, 2021 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 04/05/2021 For further information, contact:Kelly [email protected] (508) 532-5437M (774) 285-1315 *COVID-19 UPDATE*Since Friday, April 2, 57 Residents have Tested Positive, 83 More have Recovered, and City Learns of One New Fatality Associated with COVID-19; Weekly Food Resource Guide; Update on the Vaccine Equity Initiative in Framingham;Health Department Distributes Demographic COVID-19 and Vaccination Data; Reminder: Community Hour Tuesday – Framingham is Back in the "Red," What that Means and Update on City's Vaccine Equity Program Since Wednesday, 57 residents have tested positive, 83 more have recovered, and the City learns of one new fatality associated with COVID-19: The number of people in the City who have tested positive for COVID-19 is 7,709. With 5,955 recovered and 241 fatalities, Framingham currently has 1,513 active cases. The Framingham Health Department contacts the people who were potentially exposed and the owners of the businesses or places of employment where the potential exposures occurred to inform and counsel them on next steps (contact tracing). In addition to the active cases, the Health Department is following 617 residents in quarantine. Weekly food resource guide: To better manage the food demand, Framingham's Emergency Food Line's coordinators have developed a weekly guide about residents' food availability. View this week's guide in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, here. Update on the Vaccine Equity Initiative in Framingham: The City is one of 20 municipalities designated to be a Vaccine Equity Initiative member. Vaccine doses shipped to the City of Framingham are now used to improve vaccine access for residents who have been and continue to be disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Guided by the State's framework, the Equity Initiative includes people of color, immigrants and recent arrivals, homebound and disabled individuals, individuals living in low-income and congregate housing, and individuals with multiple and complex medical needs. The City has convened a Vaccine Equity Working Group with several community organizations that serve the members of the target community.In late March, Framingham's COVID Vaccine Team (comprised of Medical Reserve Corps volunteers and the Health Department) began offering smaller-scale vaccine clinics at community-based locations. Last week, clinics were held at the BRACE, Pelham Learning Center, and Metrowest Worker Center. Since March 24, 457 dose one Moderna vaccinations have been administered under the Equity Initiative. Those who received dose one were invited to return for a second dose at the same community site to become fully vaccinated. The COVID Vaccine Team will continue to offer several clinics each week at a variety of locations. Also, the team made home visits to vaccinate 53 functionally disabled and homebound residents with the Janssen (Johnson and Johnson) COVID-19 vaccine. Health Department Distributes Demographic COVID-19 and Vaccination Data: The City's Department of Public Health distributes demographic COVID-19 data about confirmed COVID-19 cases and vaccination efforts in Framingham. Reference today's data release here. Community Hour Tuesday, April 6, at 5 p.m. – Framingham is back in the "Red," what that means, and update on City's vaccine equity program: Join Mayor Yvonne M. Spicer; Barry Callis, Director at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and liaison for the Vaccine Equity Program; and Milagros Abreu, MD, MPH, - President, CEO and Founder of the Latino Health Insurance Program, Inc. to discuss what it means for Framingham to be back in the "red" and provide an update on the City's vaccine equity program. Attendees will be able to pose questions during the hour via Zoom's Chat function. If you cannot attend and have questions, please email [email protected] with the subject line: April 6 Community Hour. Zoom information on how to join is here. A video recording of the Zoom will be available following for those who cannot attend. COVID-19 in Framingham: Information on COVID-19 in Framingham can be found here. To receive information from the City on a mobile device, text "Join FraminghamMA" to 30890. Residents also can find updates on Facebook and Twitter - @Framingham_MA. For questions regarding COVID-19 in Framingham, please call the City's informational line at (508) 532-5411, Mon-Fri., 8:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. If there is an urgent update, the City will employ the "Alert Framingham" phone messaging system, otherwise known as Rave. To sign up for the City's Rave system, please go here: https://www.smart911.com/ Additional Info... This press release was produced by the City of Framingham. The views expressed here are the author's own.