COVID-19 Information
October 2024
On this page you will find information about COVID-19 prevention, vaccines, treatment, long COVID, and data.
Prevention
Overview of things you can do to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses:
- Get vaccinated for flu and COVID-19
- Stay home if you are sick and follow these guidelines.
- Use hand and respiratory hygiene
- Wear a mask around others
- Get tested for flu and COVID-19 so you can get treated
- Avoid crowded areas and maintain physical distance
- Increase fresh air
What should I do if I feel sick?
Stay home if you are sick and follow these guidelines. You may resume daily activities when you meet both of the following criteria:
- Fever-free for at least 24 hours (without the aid of medications)
- Symptoms are improving.
Once you resume normal activities, it’s important to take additional prevention strategies for the next 5 days to curb disease spread:
- Wash hands and surfaces often.
- Wear a high-quality, well-fitting mask.
- Physically distance yourself from others, such as avoiding crowded indoor settings.
- Take steps for cleaner air, such as bringing in more fresh outside air or purifying indoor air.
- Talk to your doctor about treatments for flu or COVID to lessen symptoms and lower the risk of severe illness.
- Test negative before spending time with individuals at higher risk (older adults, immunocompromised, etc.).
Vaccine
Who can get vaccinated?
Learn moreAll people age 6 months and older who live, work, or study in Massachusetts can be vaccinated. Children ages 6 months and older can receive the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. People ages 12 years and older can receive the Novavax vaccine. People age 18 and older can receive any vaccine. Learn more.
Where can I get vaccinated?
- Vaccines.gov: Search for a vaccine or booster site near you.
- MA Mobile Vaccination Program: Find mobile clinics in some locations across Massachusetts.
- In-Home Vaccination Program: Available to anyone who has difficulty getting to a vaccine site.
- If you are seeking a vaccine appointment for children, you can also contact your pediatrician.
Transportation Support
- Check out these free or low-cost options that you may qualify for.
- COVID-19 In-Home Vaccination Program: Any individual who has trouble getting to a vaccine site is eligible for the homebound program. Individuals can call (833) 983-0485 to register for an in-home vaccination. The registration phone line is open Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM and has representatives who speak English and Spanish, as well as translation services available in 100+ languages.
Where can I find additional information about the vaccine?
Where can I access my vaccine record?
Massachusetts residents can use My Vax Records to get a digital vaccine card to show you have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Treatment
Eligibility
COVID-19 therapeutic treatments including monoclonal antibodies and antiviral pills, like Paxlovid, can help lower the amount of virus in your body and protect you from severe symptoms. They can help prevent hospitalization and reduce your chance of severe disease.
Free treatments are available for people who meet all of the following eligibility:
- are at increased risk of severe disease (has just one risk factor) and/or over the age of 65, and
- test positive for COVID-19 (on a at-home or PCR test), and
- have any symptoms, even mild ones (such as runny nose or cough).
Types of treatments
Learn moreAntiviral Oral Medication:
Paxlovid
- Must be taken within 5 days of your first COVID-19 symptom
- Must be 12 years or older and weigh at least 88 pounds
- Interactions with many medications and supplements/vitamins, including common ones sold over the counter can cause serious complications, so it's important for health care providers to have an up-to-date medication and supplement list before prescribing.
Molnupiravir (brand name Lagevrio)
- Must be taken within 5 days of your first COVID-19 symptom
- Must be 18 years or older
- The CDC recommends that this drug should be used when other treatments aren’t available
Intravenous Injections:
Remdesivir (brand name Velurky)
- Given over 3 consecutive days
- Must be given within 7 days of your first COVID-19 symptom
- Available for children and adults. Children are eligible if they are: 28 days or older, weigh at least 7 pounds, test positive for COVID, and are at high risk of severe disease are eligible
How to access treatments
Treatments are FREE and insurance is not required.
Call your doctor right away to learn about your treatment options.
- MA residents can be evaluated directly for Paxlovid treatment, without contacting their health care provider
- Request a free telehealth consultation online or by calling 833-273-6330
- Clinicians are available every day from 8 am to 10 pm.
- Telehealth service is offered in collaboration with Color Health, Inc.
Long COVID
Long COVID is a serious illness that can include a wide range of ongoing symptoms and conditions that can last weeks, months, or even years after COVID-19 illness. Studies are in progress to learn more about Long COVID and identify further measures to help prevent Long COVID.
Data
We have discontinued the Western Massachusetts COVID-19 Data Dashboard as we are now in a different stage with the pandemic and COVID-19. While we still need to take precautions such as getting vaccinated and staying home when sick, the data we used to rely on is not as meaningful as it once was. COVID-19 cases and testing are not as widely reported or tracked, making metrics like “percent positivity” and town-by-town comparisons less accurate.
SEE THE COVID-19 LEVEL IN YOUR COUNTY
The CDC's COVID-19 Community Levels are a tool to help communities decide what prevention steps to take based on the latest data.
See Wastewater Surveillance Data
Wastewater surveillance is one method used to monitor the amount of COVID-19 in an area. Although it cannot tell us the total number of cases in a community, it can provide an early warning about increasing cases since the virus will show up in wastewater several days, maybe even a week before positive test numbers start to increase. Please note that this data is only collected from specific sites.
ADDITIONAL DATA
- For additional state- or county-level data, visit the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's COVID-19 Interactive Data Dashboard
- For vaccine data, visit the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's Weekly COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboard
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