Coronavirus in Massachusetts (Boston, Newburyport, Florida: school, restaurant, vs)

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by lrfox

MassHealth employee fired for comparing mask requirements to Nazi Germany: https://www.masslive.com/boston/2021...i-germany.html

She posted several comments on Facebook and then challenged people to "go ahead and report her." They did. The former MassHealth Director of Training Communications is now complaining her 1st Amendment rights have been "trampled on." Good luck with that one. Government employees have a little more protection under the 1st than private sector employees (who have essentially none). But she works for MassHealth, part of Health and Human Services, whose Head is on TV weekly pleading for people to follow the protocols her Secretariat has implemented. Pretty much a no-brainer on their end.

As a result of her termination, Foley told the newspaper that her first amendment rights were “trampled on” and she plans to file a lawsuit against the state.

No attorney would touch that without a really big retainer. I'm sure this was vetted by a bunch of attorneys before they fired her. It has 0% chance of getting a dime.

[charolastra00]

Always nice to get the inside view of job openings.

[yesmaybe]

Not gonna watch the whole thing but Charlie is talking about in person learning by April.

Edit: 100% in person and Elementary only and possibly Middle by the end of the year.

[BostonMike7]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

No attorney would touch that without a really big retainer. I'm sure this was vetted by a bunch of attorneys before they fired her. It has 0% chance of getting a dime.

You would think with what has been going on in the news the last few months, that people would have a solid understanding at how the 1st Amendment actually works and what is and is not protected by it.

[bizcuit]

Originally Posted by porterhouse

My first hand experience doesn't necessarily jibe with the stats. The reality is that lots of older people pulling their hair out trying to schedule in this state while 55+ with no co-morbidities will be able to book in CT in 6 days.

As of March 1st community health centers in MA will no longer be able to schedule appointments for first shots. This puts people in western MA at a real disadvantage getting to the Mass vaccination sites.

I've spent a lot of time helping to schedule older friends, relatives and neighbors for vaccinations. Those in NY, CT, FL, TX we got taken care of pretty easily compared to MA. Within the state, eastern MA has been easier than WMA. I'm beginning to see what people in that part of the state have been complaining about all these years.

Now I'm really getting worried. Sometimes it feels like we don't even exist out here in Western MA.

[yesmaybe]

Originally Posted by bizcuit

Now I'm really getting worried. Sometimes it feels like we don't even exist out here in Western MA.

Looking at the percentages of doses received per capita, Western MA isn't that far off from the rest of the state... except for Suffolk.

[MrDee12345]

Here's what I found about county vax rates

https://www.mass.gov/doc/weekly-covi...-2021/download

This weird victim mentality of W Mass people continues to confound me.

Berkshire County has the HIGHEST per capita rate of vaccinations in the state (both first and second doses) and the Pioneer Valley counties are at, or slightly above most of the rest of the state (except for the Cape)

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by MrDee12345

Here's what I found about county vax rates

https://www.mass.gov/doc/weekly-covi...-2021/download

This weird victim mentality of W Mass people continues to confound me.

Berkshire County has the HIGHEST per capita rate of vaccinations in the state (both first and second doses) and the Pioneer Valley counties are at, or slightly above most of the rest of the state (except for the Cape)

All the drama over the vaccination, the ranting and raving, the angst and the relentless negativity and criticism wears me out. I am not giving "the system" a pass when I say this, but I just can't understand why people can't recognize that resources are limited, and they will likely need to wait - no, not forever, but they can't likely get the vaccine on demand. It's not a conspiracy, it's not bigotry, it's not a diss, it's just practical reality. In the meantime, they can do what they've been doing, which is following public health precautions as we've all been educated to do. It's worked for me so far, and it'll likely work for me a little while longer.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by MrDee12345

Here's what I found about county vax rates

https://www.mass.gov/doc/weekly-covi...-2021/download

This weird victim mentality of W Mass people continues to confound me.

Berkshire County has the HIGHEST per capita rate of vaccinations in the state (both first and second doses) and the Pioneer Valley counties are at, or slightly above most of the rest of the state (except for the Cape)

Bristol County, dead last. Not exactly surprising.

[bohemka]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

All the drama over the vaccination, the ranting and raving, the angst and the relentless negativity and criticism wears me out. I am not giving "the system" a pass when I say this, but I just can't understand why people can't recognize that resources are limited, and they will likely need to wait - no, not forever, but they can't likely get the vaccine on demand. It's not a conspiracy, it's not bigotry, it's not a diss, it's just practical reality. In the meantime, they can do what they've been doing, which is following public health precautions as we've all been educated to do. It's worked for me so far, and it'll likely work for me a little while longer.

Agreed. Many report that Florida got it right, but my family down there has had nothing but problems. Many criticize Massachusetts, but many of my friends have been raving about their experiences. I've heard conflicting anecdotes from any state I've paid attention to. The bottom line is that a very small percentage—regardless of state—has been vaccinated, so the majority remains on the outside looking in. Every state has its mix of success stories and, much more likely, frustration.