Lack of staff means fewer available hospital beds even as coronavirus cases increase nationwide
Cambridge Hospital is so full that it has no beds available except for maternity patients, a health official said this week. It’s not from rising numbers of Covid-19 patients, though – it’s because staff shortages have reduced the hospital’s capacity.
Daunting picture of Covid challenges for the city; New cases are led by youth, especially those 5 to 11
Cambridge children 5 to 11 are getting infected with Covid-19 at the highest rate of any age group in the city and those numbers have shot up in the last month. In the first six days of December, there were 25 new cases in schools, with 17 of them being student cases.
Coronavirus infections match record from spring with cases rising in senior residences and schools
The number of Cambridge residents with Covid-19 jumped by 90 cases Friday, equaling the record set in the first coronavirus surge in spring 2020. And for the first time in months, infections were reported among residents and staff of long-term care facilities.
‘Less need’ to investigate every case of Covid-19 as contact tracing responsibility shifts to cities
Now that city and town health departments are taking back responsibility for investigating cases of Covid-19 and tracking their contacts, state officials say local workers can scale back their efforts after Jan. 1 by singling out problems in certain settings, such as clusters of infections.
Cambridge to join with three cities to trace Covid as state opts to end its contact-tracking program
The state is ending its Community Tracing Collaborative, which helped track residents who test positive for Covid-19 and their contacts, reducing transmission of the virus. It shuts down Dec. 31, but no longer accepts cases as of Monday.
More wheel good people: Bicyclist help goes on, including an Oct. 24 Halloween party in The Port
A year ago we cast the spotlight on efforts by bicyclists to help those at risk from Covid-19 and to confront racism. Those ills persist, but so does the work by the Bike Delivery Program and the Cambridge Bike Give Back initiative.
Four people – and now an alpaca – are infected with West Nile, raising local virus risk to ‘high’
State health officials raised the risk of West Nile virus in Cambridge and 26 other communities on Friday to high from moderate. The Department of Public Health acted after reporting the first infection in an animal this year, diagnosed in an alpaca in Middlesex County.
Covid claims its first Cambridge victim since May as contract tracers see more unknown outcomes
Another Cambridge resident has died from Covid-19, the first death since May 10. The city reported the death Wednesday, bringing the number of coronavirus fatalities to 124.
Police find 78-year-old who went missing during a trip to Boston for an appointment (updated)
Police were asking the public’s help late Thursday in finding a missing 78-year-old Cambridge man who has dementia.
Housing Authority joins demands for vaccination among staff or testing on ‘their dime, their time’
Another public agency in the city, the Cambridge Housing Authority, will require employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19, joining major employers such as the Cambridge Health Alliance, Mount Auburn Hospital, the city’s three nursing homes and two major universities.
