Anyone under 65 who has not lived the frustration of trying to score a vaccine through the state’s mass vax sign up system, may never have to.

 

That’s because Gov. Charlie Baker announced yesterday that the state will begin using a new vaccine appointment pre-registration system that should remove "some of the heat and some of the sting" that has flummoxed users for weeks.

 

The new Google-developed system will allow residents to fill out an online form and then receive an alert when an appointment becomes available. The pre-registration site will go live mid-morning on Friday here.

 

Sounds good, right? Yep, except, at least for now, only the state’s seven mass vaccination sites will use the pre-registration system.

 

So if you're looking to expand your odds through CVS, the Tripadvisor clinic managed by Newton-Wellesley Hospital, or other options, you'll still need to hunt and refresh, hunt and refresh.

 

 

The real problem is that there’s still not enough supply to meet demand.

 

The weekly shipment of new first doses to the state will not increase through the rest of March, remaining around 150,000, most of which is needed for second doses.

 

Another 95,000 first and second doses will flow this week to pharmacies participating in a federal program, plus 19,000 more to federally qualified health centers, reports Chris Lisinski at State House News.

 

Baker said the state could be capable of vaccinating up to two million people per month.

 

 

The lack of vaccine supply is both frustrating and dangerous for frontline workers (group three here) who have watched as educators moved to the front of the line last week, just a few weeks before those between 65 and 74 were moved up.

 

That priority shuffling occurred even though a CDC panel recommended that states prioritize frontline essential workers before adults 65 and older and those with underlying conditions, Deanna Pan writes in the Globe.

 

Food and grocery store workers, public transit employees and hotel staff in New York are already vax eligible, so are California farmworkers. Everyone is eligible in Alaska.

 

Yesterday nearly three dozen state lawmakers – and several unions -- urged Baker to put grocery workers up next in Massachusetts.

 

“Each time a supermarket worker begins their shift, they are exposed to the virus by community spread,” yet they “remain on the bottom of the vaccine roll-out process,” they wrote.

 

“They were heroes last year. They were heroes when there was a lack of food, when people couldn’t get out of their homes,” one union rep told the Herald. “I feel like they’ve been forgotten.”

 

And then there’s restaurant employees, who are the only category of frontline workers who come face-to-face with customers that are allowed under state guidance to be maskless in public.

 

A recent study showed that Hispanic and Latinx food workers in Massachusetts died of COVID at a rate eight times higher than white workers between March and July 2020, notes Boston Eater.

 

MBTA workers are pushing too. And the waiting drove Boston school bus drivers to the picket line this week.

 

Jessica Leibler, an environmental epidemiologist at Boston University tells the Globe’s Pan that “community transmission will likely persist until more essential workers are vaccinated."

 

 

 

The coworking company Workbar's opening in Needham was briefly delayed last year due to the shutdown.

 

But the company reconfigured its operation adding COVID-related measures such as sanitizing UV lights and Clorox wipes.

 

And, reports Lucia Maffei at the BBJ, they've just raised $1.5 million in a new equity offering for additional expansion across Greater Boston.

 

"Our plan, over the next few years, is to continue to form strategic partnerships with asset owners to grow our regional footprint in Greater Boston," according to Workbar CEO Sarah Travers.

 

 

The MBTA is developing a plan to restore a small amount of bus and train service in the summer and fall, even reversing some service cuts that in some cases have yet to take effect, reports WBUR.

 

Summer schedules and details won’t be decided until later this month as the agency evaluates current ridership to project future needs.

 

That worries Fiscal and Management Control Board Vice Chair Monica Tibbits-Nutt who said the slow vaccination rollout could mean we don’t see a ridership jump until late April or May.

 

"I'm very concerned about saying we're going to be able to address crowding and demand if we can't actually address crowding and demand,” she said.

 

The T has received more than $1 billion in federal pandemic aid with more expected from the latest relief package. But the agency still says it will face budget gaps of hundreds of millions of dollars for at least four years.

 

 

The City of Newton has secured funding to launch a shuttle service from Wells Ave. to the Green Line.

 

The goal is to soft launch/pilot a program beginning in July, with an expansion in early fall to coincide with workers returning to offices. If you are a Wells Ave based business and interested in learning more, contact Nicole Freedman.

 

 

As of yesterday, we’ve delivered one thousand meals though Nourishing Newton – a partnership between your chamber and the Rotary Club of Newton.

 

Nourishing Newton purchases meals from local independently owned-operated restaurants and distributes them to those in need within the community.

 

This week, drops were made to the Centre Street and Newton Food Pantries, as well as the YMCA, the Senior Center and the Arabic Baptist Church. 

 

Baramor, Moldova Restaurant, Sandwich Works, Walnut Grille, Judith’s Kitchen, LuDu Thai Eatery, Blue Ribbon BBQ, Johnny’s Luncheonette, Café Sol Azteca and Anna’s Taqueria all supplied this week’s deliveries.

 

 

Our effort in Wellesley – Nourishing Wellesley, of course – will be launching very soon. A similar program, funded through the same $175,000 state earmark, thanks to Sen. Cindy Creem – is also running in Brookline through their chamber.

 

Together we will be buying and providing over 10,000 meals – while supporting over 50 local restaurants between now and June. 

 

That's it for today. Enjoy the near 70-degree day with a picnic from someplace on this list.

 

President, Newton-Needham Regional Chamber

617-244-1688

 

Your chamber is here when you need us.