Baker urges caution even as COVID-19 vaccine begins arriving

BOSTON (AP) - After months of anticipation, the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have begun trickling into Massachusetts, although Gov. Charlie Baker and state health officials cautioned Tuesday that it will be some months more before vaccines are available to the general public.

Four hospitals received about 6,000 doses on Monday.

On Tuesday, the state expects the federal government to ship more than 53,000 doses to 17 hospitals statewide, Baker said. Among those receiving the first doses are health care workers providing coronavirus care.

It’s all part of the expected 300,000 first doses that should arrive in the state before the end of December. The doses are delivered directly from the government to hospitals.

Even though the state is beginning to roll out vaccine shots, Massachusetts residents still face months of peril from the disease caused by the coronavirus, Baker cautioned.

Baker pleaded with residents to celebrate upcoming holidays with members of their immediate household and resist the temptation to gather with wider circles of friends and family members.

He pointed to the spike in COVID-19 cases in the weeks following the Thanksgiving holiday.

Ten days before Thanksgiving, the state was averaging about 2,500 new cases per day. Nearly two weeks after the holiday, new cases nearly doubled to about 4,800 per day, according to Baker.

The surge has put a strain on the state’s health care system, he said.

“A few more month of masks and distancing and COVID precautions and not lettering our guard down is right there in front of us and is the right thing to do,” Baker said. “We have a chance here to play offense, but it’s critically important for all of us to do the things we need to do to get from here to there.”

Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association President Steve Walsh said health care workers have stepped up to the challenge during a difficult year and are counting on their neighbors to make safe choices around the winter holiday.

“Keeping celebrations small is the greatest gift you can give our healthcare professionals this year,” Walsh said.

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VIRUS BY THE NUMBERS

The number of newly confirmed coronavirus deaths rose by 55 on Tuesday while the number of newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 increased by more than 3,700.

The new deaths pushed the state’s confirmed COVID-19 death toll to 11,190 and its confirmed caseload since the start of the pandemic to more than 286,800.

The true number of cases is likely higher because studies suggest some people can be infected and not feel sick.

There were more than 1,800 people reported hospitalized Tuesday because of confirmed cases of COVID-19, with more than 370 in intensive care units.

The average age of those hospitalized was 69.

The number of probable or confirmed COVID-19 deaths reported in long-term care facilities rose to 7,040.

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SCHOOLS AND ONLINE TEACHING

Schools that are teaching online during the pandemic will be required to give every student at least some live interaction with a teacher every day under new rules approved Tuesday by Massachusetts officials.

The state’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education adopted new standards around online education amid concerns that it has left many students dealing with anxiety and depression.

“Many of our children are struggling with the isolation that comes with remote or even hybrid learning,” Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley said as he proposed the standards.

Under the new rules, schools offering a mix of online and in-person classes must average at least 3.5 hours a day of live instruction, which can include online or in-person teaching. Schools that are fully online will have to average 4 hours a day of live teaching.

All schools must offer some live interaction every day. The rules take effect Jan. 19.

Riley proposed the changes after a state survey found that many students had at least one day every two weeks without live interaction with a teacher. About one-third of schools currently fail to meet the new standards, the state found.

The measure was approved with a vote of 7-4.

State education officials previously urged schools to prioritize in-person learning but had set no standards for live instruction.