Around Town

State’s COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility List Expanded

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Watertown Fire Chief Bob Quinn gets a COVID-19 vaccination shot during the clinic for police and firefighters run by the Watertown Health Department. Massachusetts residents ages 65 and older can begin getting the COVID-19 vaccine beginning Thursday, Feb. 18, along with others added to the groups that qualify. The additions to the vaccination list were announced on Wednesday by the Mass Department of Public Health. Others added to the list include people who have at least two comorbidities, as well as residents who live and work in low-income or affordable senior housing facilities.

Around Town

Watertown COVID-19 Cases Dropping, Lowest Since December

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The number of COVID-19 cases continued to drop, and the number of recent cases dropped to its lowest point since the beginning of December. According to the latest Mass. Department of Public Health report, Watertown has had 157 cases over the prior 14 days. The number dropped by 78 from the previous week’s report. The last time the Town had fewer cases over the previous 2 weeks was the Dec.

Around Town

Watertown Offering Vaccine Clinic for Residents 75 & Older

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Health Department:

The Watertown Health Department has received a limited supply of COVID-19 vaccines and per state requirements is hosting a clinic for Watertown residents age 75 and older only (anyone born prior to 1945). The Watertown Seniors Over 75 Clinic is scheduled for Wednesday, February 10. To register and for more information, go to: https://www.maimmunizations.org/clinic/private_registration/46e75165-f79b-4a45-aff3-8114d48036ac

Pre-registration is required for all appointments and seniors requiring assistance with registering can call the Senior Center at (617) 972-6490 for assistance in making an appointment. Residents who have other means to get the vaccine (Veterans who utilize the VA; persons with transportation to get to mass-vaccination clinics) are encouraged to schedule appointments at those sites as soon as possible so they can get an early appointment. Because the clinic is limited, attendees will be required to provide proof of Watertown residency and are advised to wear loose clothing that allows for easy access to the upper arm for administration of the vaccination. If you have insurance, please bring your insurance card with you.

Around Town

Watertown CVS Will be COVID Vaccine Site, By Appointment Only

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CVS announced that starting next week 15 locations in Massachusetts will offer COVID-19 vaccinations by appointment to eligible people, including in Watertown. Which of Watertown’s three CVS locations, if not all, will have the vaccine is not clear. The report by Fox 25 Boston just mentions Watertown in the list of the sites to offer the vaccine. The doses will be shipped by the Federal Government directly to the pharmacies. Last week, the Mass.

Around Town

Watertown’s Galdston Joins Superintendents Asking for Educators to Get Vaccine Sooner

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Watertown’s Superintendent of Schools joined school leaders from around the region who are urging Gov. Charlie Baker to move educators to a higher priority in Massachusetts’ COVID-19 vaccination plan. Currently, the Watertown Public Schools are operating with a hybrid learning model, where students are split into two cohorts and alternate days they attend school in-person. Some have also chosen to go all remote. At the Jan. 26 School Committee meeting, Superintendent Dede Galdston said that a survey found that parents and teachers would like to see increased in-person learning, but she said under current restrictions that would be difficult. She mentioned that vaccination of teachers and staff could help the move toward bringing more students back into school.

COVID-19

Watertown School Surveys Find More In-Person Learning Wanted, COVID Testing Popular

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The number positive tests for COVID-19 is going up for students and staff in the Watertown Public Schools, but they have remained low for those attending in-person. Superintendent Dede Galdston discussed COVID in the schools, as well as the results of the Watertown Public Schools’ surveys taken by parents, students and staff at Monday’s School Committee meeting. The district has 13 students and/or staff who have tested positive for COVID-19, but only three of those people are attending school in-person: two at the Early Steps preschool and one at Watertown High School. A total of 44 students and staff are in quarantine, including 15 at the preschool and 12 at Lowell Elementary School. Since Sept.

Business

Watertown Restaurant First Awardee of Group Looking to Save Local Eateries

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Watertown’s Donohue’s Bar & Grill received the first grant from the Step Up to the Table Foundation, a group looking to save local restaurants during COVID-19. Donohue’s was nominated by Josh Vernon, who sent in a letter talking about how much the restaurant has given back to the community since it opened in 1998, particularly to the Watertown Boys & Girls Club. “When you mention Donohue’s to anyone from the Watertown area, they think of family and a wonderful place to gather together for all reasons JD would never ask for help, so as a friend and customer I felt he deserved this nomination so he can continue giving back to his community and supporting his staff,” Vernon wrote in his nomination. Like restaurants across Massachusetts, Donohue’s has faced many hurdles during the pandemic, from being closed in the early days of COVID, to continued reduction of capacity and other restrictions. See a video, below, posted by the Step Up to the Table Foundation when it told owner JD Donohue about the grant:

Around Town

As Phase 2 of State’s Vaccination Plan Approaches, Town Waits for Vaccine

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Watertown residents anxiously await the COVID-19 vaccine, but to the chagrin of Health Director Larry Ramdin, he does not have any to distribute. Last week, Gov. Baker announced that Phase 2 of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution would begin on Feb. 1, beginning with people age 75. Second in the order of priority will be people 65 and over and people with two comorbidities

“We are spending a lot of time responding to people’s calls asking for the vaccine,” Ramdin said. The Health Department vaccinated members of the Watertown Fire and Police departments as part of Phase 1 recently, but Radmin said they were able to get the vaccine through a collaboration with the town’s of Belmont, Arlington and Lexington.