Covid 19

COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics (3/31/22)

COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics

Murray / Wellington Apartments
Community Room
April 4, 2022: 2PM – 4PM

Elm Park Tower
Community Room
April 5, 2022: 2PM – 4PM

Webster Square Tower
1050 Main Street Community Room
April 7, 2022: 2PM – 4PM

Webster Square Tower
1060 Main Street Community Room
April 8, 2022: 2PM – 4PM

Moderna and Pfizer – First, second, and booster available

Vaccine clinic hosted by: The City of Worcester

Questions or concerns, please call: Resident Services 508-635-3306

Get FREE at-home COVID-19 tests (1/19/22)

Get FREE at-home COVID-19 tests

As you may be aware, the Biden Administration is offering free rapid tests to all residents in the United States. The pre-order period for the at-home COVID-19 tests via www.covidtests.gov has begun. Every household in the U.S. is eligible to order four free at-home COVID-19 tests. The tests are completely free and will usually ship in 7-12 days.

ABOUT THE AT-HOME COVID-19 TESTS

• The tests available for order:
  • Are rapid antigen at-home tests, not PCR
  • Can be taken anywhere
  • Give results within 30 minutes (no lab drop-off required)
  • Work whether or not you have COVID-19 symptoms
  • Work whether or not you are up to date on your COVID-19 vaccines
  • Are also referred to as self-tests or over-the-counter (OTC) tests

Pre-order now!

Pre-order period for the at-home tests via www.covidtests.gov starts this week, on Wednesday, January 19th.

Contact Resident Services at 508-635-3306 for questions or concerns. Visit our COVID-19 page for up-to-date news and info: www.worcesterha.org/covid19.html

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATES & GUIDANCE

WHA RESIDENT NEWSLETTER

LATEST UPDATE – DECEMBER 22, 2021

The holidays are upon us and with the Omicron variant now spreading through the country, it looks like we’re facing another year of COVID-19 not going away. While Omicron appears to spread faster and easier than previous variants, its symptoms appear to be less severe. However, over 1,000 people per day are still dying from COVID-19 infections in the United States, mostly from the Delta variant, which has not gone away. With holiday parties and gatherings now in full swing and people letting their guard down, cases are increasing quickly. We are already seeing evidence of that here at the WHA with an alarming number of residents being exposed to or testing positive for COVID in recent weeks, particularly in our family sites.

In an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, December 8th, UMass Memorial Health Care President and CEO Dr. Eric Dickson told reporters that “we, right now, have more patients in the hospital, overall, than we have had at either of the two peaks previously. You come in one day and you say this is the worst we’ve ever seen it and you come back the next day and it’s even worse.” According to Dickson, many of the hospitals in the UMass Memorial health care system are currently at-capacity. At UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, all 450 beds, which are typically available, are full.

In Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu has rolled out an aggressive response to rising cases. Beginning Jan. 15, people aged 12 and up will have to present proof of at least one vaccination dose for access to gyms, restaurants, entertainment venues, and museums in Boston. Worcester isn’t likely to be far behind. Every reputable public health professional has confirmed that the best way to stop the spread of the virus is vaccination. Mutations and new variants are emerging because the virus is finding unvaccinated people to infect and to mutate through. This is science. Trust the facts, get the vax.

FREE HOME TESTING KITS FOR RESIDENTS!

The WHA has received 2,000 free, at-home COVID-19 test kits from the City of Worcester for distribution to residents. Kits have been distributed at a number of sites and residents have been notified via robocall. Supply is limited and first-come, first-serve. If you would like a kit, please contact Resident Services at 508-635-3306 or your property management office to check availability.

STAY SAFE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!

THE FACTS

In Massachusetts, there have been 947,625 total confirmed cases of COVID-19. Of those, 100,399 are “breakthrough” cases (meaning the infected person was vaccinated). The remaining 847,226 were unvaccinated.
The CDC has reported that the Omicron variant has accounted for 73% of new infections last week, nearly a six-fold increase in Omicron’s share of U.S. infections in just seven days.

TIPS FOR SAFE HOLIDAYS

• Get vaccinated! Children and adults age 5 and up should get a COVID-19 vaccine.
• Gathering with family outside of your immediate household? Get tested before you get together!
• Feeling ill? Stay home! Even if it’s just a cold or flu, you could put your loved ones at risk.
• Wash your hands frequently, particularly before preparing, serving, or eating food.
• Don’t touch your face! The virus enters through your nose, mouth, or eyes. Keep your hands away.
• Wear a mask when in public places or around those who are immune-compromised.

GET BOOSTED!

If it’s been six months since you got the second COVID vaccine dose and you’re over the age of 16, it’s time to book in for your booster shot. This will provide additional protection against COVID, including the Omicron variant.

In Israel, people who received a booster dose (five or more months after completing vaccination) had infection rates ten times lower than in people who had only received the initial two-dose course.

Pfizer has said that while two doses may not be protective enough to prevent Omicron infection, lab tests showed a booster increased by 25-fold people’s levels of virus-fighting antibodies. For Moderna, the booster increased those antibody levels 37-fold.

The CDC has said the risk of infection is 8x higher in the unvaccinated than the vaccinated, and the risk of hospitalization or death is 25x higher.

So what are you still waiting for? Get boosted today!

RESOURCES

Need a COVID vaccine or booster? Click here: https://vaxfinder.mass.gov/
Need a COVID test? Click here: https://www.mass.gov/covid-19-testing
Need information? Call the City of Worcester COVID-19 hotline at 508-799-1019, open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Albanian
Infected or exposed? Call your Property Manager or Resident Services at 508-635-3306 for resources to help you quarantine safely.
Other resources: Text WHACOVID to 67076 for alerts or visit: http://www.worcesterha.org/covid19.html

[PDF] Resident Newsletter: Coronavirus COVID-19 Updates & Guidance (8/11/21)

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATES & GUIDANCE
WHA RESIDENT NEWSLETTER
LATEST UPDATE – AUGUST 11, 2021

The Delta variant – what you need to know

After a sharp drop in COVID infections in the first half of the year, many states have seen numbers inching up recently as the Delta variant – a highly infectious, contagious, and more severe strain – started to quickly spread, particularly among a younger demographic as states eased restrictions.

This strain is also causing “breakthrough” cases in fully-vaccinated persons. A recent outbreak in Provincetown, MA made headlines after hundreds were infected, including many fully-vaccinated persons (74%). Very few of those infected in this outbreak were hospitalized, and none died, proving that the vaccines work as expected to prevent severe illness and death from COVID-19.

In total, out of approximately 164 million people vaccinated nationwide, there have been 125,682 breakthrough cases since January. This sounds like a lot, but it breaks down to 0.08%. Thinking about it in another way, 99.92% of vaccinated people have not had a breakthrough infection – pretty solid odds! On the contrary, almost 99% of hospitalized patients infected with COVID-19 are UNVACCINATED.

How did we end up with Delta?

It is important to understand the science behind mutations and vaccination. Viruses aren’t living things – they need a host (you) to survive. Once a virus enters your body, it reproduces and spreads. The more a virus circulates in a population of people, the more it can change and mutate. Every time the virus jumps to a new person, its chance of mutation increases. However, if the virus keeps running into vaccinated people, it hits a wall and can’t keep spreading. Decreasing the number of infections through vaccination is the best way to stop community spread and prevent new variants from developing.

How bad is it in our community?

On August 2, 2021, there were 883 new, confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported in Massachusetts. There are currently 226 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, 51 in ICU and 16 who are intubated. What is most concerning about this variant is the population most impacted – the younger, 20-40 age group.

As of July 6, 78% of the eligible population in MA have had at least one dose of the vaccine. 70% are fully vaccinated. While Massachusetts is faring better than other states, updated data from the CDC now shows nine Massachusetts counties, including Worcester, at either substantial or high risk. Last week, the CDC said that even fully vaccinated individuals in such areas should wear masks when in public indoor settings.

Confirmed cases by age during the last two weeks *Data updated weekly
Age group (years)

WHAT CAN YOU DO

• The WHA is not currently making any changes to existing COVID-related protocols, but will be watching the numbers closely and responding quickly to changes in public health guidance.

• Unvaccinated persons must continue to mask on WHA property when outside of their unit. Vaccinated individuals are encouraged to mask in public spaces, especially when in close contact with others from outside of your household. Sanitize, keep your hands away from your face, and use caution around those at high-risk.

• GET VACCINATED! Now is the time. In most hospitals, over 99% of COVID patients in ICU are unvaccinated. Many beg for the vaccine as they lay dying in hospital beds without their loved ones. For them, it’s too late. For you, it’s not. The Delta variant is as contagious as chicken pox, spreading quickly and hitting even young and healthy people hard, including children. Talk to your doctor and get reliable, professional, educated advice.

• Worried about side effects? The vaccine is not live and leaves the body within 72 hours. The antibodies created by your own immune system is what sticks around. Serious side effects from the vaccine are extremely rare and the vast majority occur within 6-8 weeks of receiving the shot. In contrast, the long term effects of COVID can be devastating, including permanent lung damage, permanent loss of taste or smell, and cognitive issues, like brain fog and memory loss. Millions of people around the globe have been vaccinated to date without issue. What are you still waiting for?
FROM THE FRONTLINES

“As Mindy Greene spent another day in the COVID intensive care unit, listening to the whirring machines that now breathed for her 42-year-old husband, Russ, she opened her phone and tapped out a message.”

“We did not get the vaccine,” she wrote on Facebook. “I read all kinds of things about the vaccine and it scared me. So I made the decision and prayed about it and got the impression that we would be ok.”

They were not.

Her husband, the father to their four children, was now hovering between life and death, tentacles of tubes spilling from his body. The patient in the room next to her husband’s had died hours earlier. That day, July 13, Greene decided to add her voice to an unlikely group of people speaking out in the polarized national debate over vaccination: the remorseful.

“If I had the information I have today we would have gotten vaccinated,” Greene wrote. Come what may, she hit send. “I have such incredible guilt,” Greene said one morning as she sat in the fourth-floor lobby outside the ICU at Utah Valley Hospital in Provo, which looks out to the mountains where her family once went hiking and four-wheeling. “I blame myself still. Every day.”

RESOURCES

Need a COVID vaccine? Click here: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-vaccination-locations
Need a COVID test? Click here: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/find-a-covid-19-test
Other resources: Text WHACOVID to 67076 for alerts or visit: http://www.worcesterha.org/covid19.html