Rocky Vaccine Rollout Angers Some Health Care Workers: Patch PM

Today is Tuesday, Dec. 22. Here are some of the top stories we are covering.

Leaders at some of Massachusetts' flagship hospitals were apologizing to frustrated staff after what health care workers have called an uneven rollout of the new COVID-19 vaccine.

Several stories Monday detailed problems with everything ranging from the software used to sign up for vaccinations to deviations from the prioritization process.

The Boston Globe reported Mass General Brigham's app used to schedule vaccinations crashed due to overload, while staffers at other hospitals complained of people who aren't interacting with COVID-19 patients getting the vaccine.

Doctors at Brigham and Women's Hospital called the rollout there a "free for all," according to a GBH report.

When Patch attended a vaccination clinic at MelroseWakefield Hospital last week, top doctors said those who are interacting with COVD were being prioritized, whether they worked in the emergency room or in housekeeping.

"Starting with all people who are patient-facing," Pharmacy Director Nicole Clark said. "Starting a lot in those critical areas."

But that hasn't been the case everywhere.

Read the full story here

Other top stories

Baker: New Measures Will Have 'Negative Ramifications'

Amid concerns of another holiday spike in coronavirus cases, and hopes that the federal relief bill could provide some urgent help to the state's struggling businesses, Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday announced additional statewide business and gathering restrictions beginning Saturday.

Baker said he understands the new measures will have "negative ramifications" for business and hopes the federal relief package passed this week will help mitigate the impact. He said the state will announce additional business relief programs Wednesday, in addition to $49 million in pandemic relief grants announced Monday.

Capacity limits will be lowered to 25 percent for all businesses. Indoor gathering limits will be lowered to 10 people and outdoor limits will be lowered to 25 people. The restrictions will be in place for at least two weeks.

Baker said he understands the new measures will have "negative ramifications" for business and hopes the federal relief package passed this week will help mitigate the impact. He said the state will announce additional business relief programs Wednesday, in addition to $49 million in pandemic relief grants announced Monday.

As MA Preps For Restrictions, RI Numbers Show Improvement Following Pause

Two days after the end of Rhode Island's three-week coronavirus "pause," the state saw an encouraging trend in its weekly data, with a decline among all three indicators-percent positivity, new hospital admissions, and cases per 100,000 people.

The R.I. Department of Health COVID-19 Data Tracker revealed that the state experienced a significant drop in new cases per 100,000 people, falling to 594 from last week's 791. Percent positivity also saw a hopeful trend, dropping 1.4 percentage points from 7.8% to 6.4%.

New hospitalizations decreased significantly compared to last week, down by 24 from last week. Hospitalizations are a lagging indicator, meaning that they tend see significant decreases a week or two later than others. There are currently 440 people hospitalized statewide.

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