Coronavirus in Massachusetts (pharmacy, airport, health)

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by sawyer2

I don't know how anyone deals with 93S rush hour traffic on a daily basis.

That has been a true statement for 50+ years. Yesterday at 4:30pm, I was surprised that 24/495 and the 24/44 Rayham were back to pre-COVID stop & go, too. I can only imagine Route 3/Cape traffic this summer with all the cabin fever.



A year ago, I zipped up to my Vermont place as a day trip to shut it down, empty the fridge, freezer, & cupboards, and grab priceless things out of the basement like a case of toilet paper and a case of paper towels. At 5pm on a late-March Friday, I rolled through the Big Dig and down the Southeast Expressway on cruise control with almost no cars on the road. It was like a zombie apocalypse movie except no Milla Jovovich and Biogen instead of the Umbrella Corporation.

[BostonMike7]

Originally Posted by msRB311

Im surprised to hear traffic is bad again ? Many are still remote. Well it's going to get a lot worse then as more people go back the next few months.

Yup, I'm dreading summer-time Friday commutes home. Many of the office parks near mine are still eerily empty, so I expect it to get worse as we move further into 2021 and many start to return, even on a hybrid basis.

While i'm bummed about this on a personal level, it does signify the start of a return to "normalcy" perhaps.

[msRB311]

As i've been saying this another reason for more companies to help out the Earth's footprint by having people work from home....no one seems to care though i guess?

[robr2]

I've been getting out more making sales again and traffic is absolutely picking up. When I was venturing out last summer and fall to do nothing more than drop off literature, I was able to fly around. There was one afternoon last fall when I went into Boston and was unsure about parking in the wide open spaces on Newbury St. I was afraid there would be a catch.

[id77]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

That has been a true statement for 50+ years. Yesterday at 4:30pm, I was surprised that 24/495 and the 24/44 Rayham were back to pre-COVID stop & go, too. I can only imagine Route 3/Cape traffic this summer with all the cabin fever.



A year ago, I zipped up to my Vermont place as a day trip to shut it down, empty the fridge, freezer, & cupboards, and grab priceless things out of the basement like a case of toilet paper and a case of paper towels. At 5pm on a late-March Friday, I rolled through the Big Dig and down the Southeast Expressway on cruise control with almost no cars on the road. It was like a zombie apocalypse movie except no Milla Jovovich and Biogen instead of the Umbrella Corporation.

The nightmare this summer will be guessing when the rushes are. It used to be clockwork when the rush was on, so leaving for the Cape on Thursday or coming back Tuesday would avoid traffic on most non-holiday weekends. This year? Who knows. Could be random rushes when everyone decides that the weather looks nice on Wednesday so Tuesday gets busy.

[rach5]

Originally Posted by msRB311

As i've been saying this another reason for more companies to help out the Earth's footprint by having people work from home....no one seems to care though i guess?

I think the reduction in traffic/commuting time and pollution is a huge benefit of WFH. I also personally don't mind zoom meetings, but can see that some limited office time can be beneficial. Partial WFH seems to be an ideal compromise. Greater Boston traffic pre-covid was a disaster, plain and simple - driving in from Providence during the day pure hell, except for very limited hours mid-day or well before or after rush "hour" (more like many hours).

[yesmaybe]

Took another look at the numbers and depending on how far the vaccine intake goes, could be done with one dose for Adults in May. At the very least it should be very easy to get an appointment then.

[msRB311]

Originally Posted by rach5

I think the reduction in traffic/commuting time and pollution is a huge benefit of WFH. I also personally don't mind zoom meetings, but can see that some limited office time can be beneficial. Partial WFH seems to be an ideal compromise. Greater Boston traffic pre-covid was a disaster, plain and simple - driving in from Providence during the day pure hell, except for very limited hours mid-day or well before or after rush "hour" (more like many hours).

I agree...it sounds like most companies will be moving towards a hybrid but who knows. I still think there are some jobs that don't even need to be in the office a few days a week...i could see going in like every other week. I'm shocked that we haven't been given some plans as to when we are to come back in and how often. We were given a date last fall of June 30th but it's a huge institution and there's no way everyone is just going to show up on June 30th. It's been very much hinted at that we'll be hybrid, but people are frustrated at the not know. We had a dept meeting yesterday, hadn't had one in a while and I REALLY thought something would come up on what the office will be like when/if we go back but nothing came up. We had smaller breakout sessions today and others said they were surprised it didn't come up either. It's hard to plan. All i can think of is that the leadership people don't know yet either. Some high up recently sent an email saying that we should all be open to ideas on how we work together even if physically apart.

I also wonder if there's more traffic because there are less people wanting to take the train right now because of transmission risks.

[bostonguy1960]

So, age 60 plus qualifies in a few days on March 22 for a Covid vaccine in Massachusetts.

I'm 61, and signed up on a state link a few days ago to schedule an appointment for my Covid vaccine when age qualified, but was still told it could be weeks before they text me with notification to even choose a vaccine date -- which could still be weeks after.

But just yesterday, my community health center texted that appointments are open there for March 29 for my age group. Seems there were earlier ones there, but they'd filled up fast for those 60+ who'll be eligible on March 22. I won't know which vaccine until arrival.

Meanwhile, my friend in the New York City suburbs is 58 and got his vaccine (don't know if at a pharmacy, supermarket or doctor's office). He has no conditions and can't qualify by his job, so I don't believe he was officially eligible yet. I think NY state is still 65 and over if no personal exemptions?

He said he went late in the day and "begged." Apparently they had extra vaccines. Lucky him. He's very aggressive naturally, so this behavior is so him!

Sure, we've all heard for weeks now about people who wouldn't normally qualify getting lucky at a pharmacy by just showing up late in the day or sitting in their car for hours just in case.

I was at CVS in Quincy this week for regular shopping, and a lady asked the vaccine coordinator late in that day if there's any extra vaccines that day. She was told no, as everyone had shown up for their appointment.

...

Anybody know anybody who's successfully gotten a vaccine showing up late in the day at a pharmacy?

...

I suppose the urgency isn't as severe for some or most now, as it seems most in Massachusetts will be eligible in mid April...but who knows how long from there to schedule an appointment?

I have an 81-year-old male friend, a retired teacher, who refuses the vaccine. Is that at all common in his age group? I simply assumed 99 percent of his age group will get vaccinated or are vaccinated.

[yesmaybe]

I've heard of stories of people begging and getting it. It's not that uncommon.

Originally Posted by bostonguy1960

I have an 81-year-old male friend, a retired teacher, who refuses the vaccine. Is that at all common in his age group? I simply assumed 99 percent of his age group will get vaccinated or are vaccinated.

75+ in MA as of Tuesday was 78%. The previous week (3/9) it was 75%. Getting 100% participation just isn't going to happen.