March 4, 2021 – The Town of Needham and Needham Public Health today provided the following update regarding COVID-19.
State DPH COVID-19 Numbers
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reports the number of positive cases and deaths daily on the state's COVID-19 dashboard.
Town-specific case numbers are published by the state every Thursday.
- 1446 Needham cases to date (3/4/2021). This is an increase of 27 cases since the 2/25/21 report.
- Needham is in the YELLOW category this week. Read the state’s Weekly Public Health Report here.
- 118 Coronavirus deaths in Needham to date (2/25/21).
NEEDHAM VACCINE UPDATE
Doses Received to Date | Doses Administered to Date | Doses Scheduled for Distribution | Total Doses Administered or Scheduled |
5,810 | 4,489 | 1,270 | 5,759 |
Needham Public Health Vaccine Update
The state has notified local Departments of Public Health, including Needham Public Health that they will no longer receive first doses of vaccines unless they are a part of an approved regional collaborative or otherwise specified. Due to that, Needham is not currently receiving any new shipments of first doses of the vaccine. If you have received your first dose at a Needham Public Health clinic, you will receive your second dose at a Needham Public Health Second Dose Clinic. You will have gotten a confirmed date for your second dose on the date you received your first. If you did not, please email needhamvaccine@needhamma.gov.
Teachers, School Staff, Early Educators Now Eligible for Vaccinations, State Sign Ups Start Next Week
Beginning Thursday, March 11th, teachers, K-12 school staff and early educators will be eligible to sign up to receive vaccinations through the state vaccination website. The Governor announced Wednesday that the state’s Covid Command Center will also designate specific days for educators to get the vaccine at the state’s seven mass vaccination sites. The Governor cautioned that while he is expanding eligibility to this new group, the state is not expecting to receive more vaccines to be shipped to the state than it usually receives each week until at least the end of the month. Therefore, it may take at least a month before all eligible educators can secure an appointment.
Needham Public Health to Begin Vaccinating Housing Authority Residents
Working with the state, Needham Public Health begins vaccinating local housing authority residents this weekend. The vaccinations are limited and can only be administered to those residents who qualify and have a scheduled appointment.
New Dashboard Offers More Detailed Information on Cases, Vaccinations in Needham
The Town and Needham Public Health have launched a new Covid-19 dashboard that offers the public more detailed information about Covid-19 cases in Needham and progress on vaccination efforts by Needham Public Health. The new dashboard is embedded on the Town’s dedicated Covid-19 website and is updated weekly in tandem with the state’s weekly updates. The dashboard contains information on the following categories:
• Total Covid-19 cases broken down by age, race and ethnicity and gender;
• Confirmed cases and deaths by month;
• Average daily cases and 14-day incidence rate by age; and
• Vaccinations by Needham Public Health by race and ethnicity, age and gender as well as first and second dose distributions by week.