Stand up against hate, COVID data and resources, Upcoming Events, and more

The Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts stands with our personal and professional family members who know all too well the pains and devastation from racism and acts of hate. For our Asian-American communities, we deplore the violence committed towards you; we value the centuries long contributions made to this country and can't imagine our lives without the brilliant culture added by your presence and influence. Speaking out is important and acknowledging the darker side of humans that hurt others blatantly and covertly is something that we must all continue to not tolerate. The Public Health Institute of Western MA will continue to speak out against hate and racism, and we continue to ask you to join us on our journey of understand equity and moving individual behavior as well as policies to better support those communities that have suffered too long.

We share these health resources as way to continue the learning for all of us:

Hate-Motivated Behavior: RWJF-funded research on the impacts, risk factors, and interventions to combat hate-motivated behavior.
Racism and Health: Research, tools, and perspectives about how racism affects health.
Discrimination: National poll on the personal experiences and impact of discrimination across more than a dozen areas of daily life.
Commentary: RWJF EVP Julie Morita isn't remaining silent on the bigotry that has percolated across the country in response to this pandemic. "Racism has its own virulence that is bad for the nation's soul and is bad for the nation's health."
Commentary: Julie Morita tells Face the Nation about anti-Asian hate and racism's role in pandemics and the need to address systemic racism targeting people of color.

COVID-19 in Western MA

Visit the Western MA COVID-19 Data Dashboard for the latest COVID-19 data for the region. The Dashboard is updated every Friday, by mid-afternoon.

We've made some changes to our county graphs

Our county graphs look a little different this week, but it is the same data. You can now download the data associated with these graphs!

Additional vaccine data coming soon

In the coming weeks we will be working on expanding the COVID-19 vaccine data available on our website. Stay tuned!

We want your feedback!

Have you taken our survey yet?

We are gathering feedback about our communications efforts. Your feedback is important and will help shape our future activities. This survey should take about 5 minutes.

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COVID-19 Vaccine: When, Where & Now What?

When can I get Vaccinated?

COVID-19 Vaccinations are underway in Massachusetts. Learn when you are eligible to get vaccinated.

Where can I get Vaccinated?

COVID-19 Vaccine Finder: Search for appointments at pharmacies, health care providers, and other community locations. Appointment availability is updated daily. Some local vaccination sites may only be open to residents of select town. Check listing to see if the site is restricted.
Pre-register for mass vaccination sites: Preregister to be notified when it's your turn to schedule an appointment at one of 7 mass vaccination locations: Eastfield Mall in Springfield, Hynes Convention Center, Gillette Stadium, Reggie Lewis Center, DoubleTree Hotel in Danvers, Natick Mall and former Circuit City in Dartmouth. More locations will be added in April.
Vaccination locations and bus routes in the PVTA service area: Find a list of COVID-19 vaccination sites in the PVTA service area and which bus routes service them.

I've been Vaccinated, Now What?

People who have been fully vaccinated (2 weeks after final dose) can start to do some things that they had stopped doing because of the pandemic;

Gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask
Gather indoors with unvaccinated people from one household, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19

Learn more

Information may change from one day to the next. For the most up-to-date information, visit the state's vaccination page.

Get Tested to Control the Spread

Should I get tested?

COVID-19 testing is still an important part of combating the spread of the virus. You should get a test for COVID-19 if:

You develop any symptoms of COVID-19, even if they are mild
You are a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19

If you are fully vaccinated, you do not need to get tested unless you have symptoms.

Who Should Get Tested for COVID-19 in MA

Upcoming Events

Equity in Aging, 4/8/21 at 1:00pm: The Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative (MHAC) is hosting a webinar with presentations about current work from the Public Health Institute of Western MA, AARP-MA, MHAC, and MHAC community partners. Register here.
Closing the Gap on Herd Immunity, 4/8/21 at 5:00pm: The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts is hosting a free virtual panel about the COVID-19 vaccine. Topics will include vaccine misinformation, how to increase access to vaccination, what's next on our way to herd immunity. Register here .
Wait…What?! Racial Disparities in Maternal Health, 4/15/21 at 11:00am: The Women's Fund of Western MA is hosting a panel discussion about racial disparities in maternal health. Learn more and register.

Want to see recordings from past events about COVID-19 and the vaccine? Click here.

Public Health Institute of Western MA