PLEASE NOTE THAT VACCINE INFORMATION IS CHANGING QUICKLY. THE INFORMATION BELOW IS THE LATEST NEWS AS OF THIS EMAIL BEING SENT on Friday, February 5.

• Who is currently eligible to get the vaccine?: Right now everyone in Phase 1 (which includes healthcare workers, first responders, people in long-term care facilities, and people in congregate care settings) as well people 75 or older are eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine. If you’re unsure if you’re eligible, visit mass.gov/vaccine and answer a few questions to find out.

• City vaccine clinic scheduled for 2/10: On Wednesday, February 10, the City will be running a daytime vaccine clinic, with a very limited number of doses available. People who fall into Phase 1 and people who are 75 or older are eligible to receive a vaccine. To request an appointment, call 311 or 617-666-3311 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Multilingual support is available. This will be the first of an expected series of clinics that will be offered in the coming weeks and months. 311 can also connect seniors to the Council on Aging for support in signing up for State vaccine clinics. We encourage persons who are better able to access appointments via the State system or your health provider to leave these local slots open for those with more challenges to access including barriers to completing the online State forms, transportation challenges, or lack of access via a health provider.

• Who gets the vaccine next?: The next group that will be eligible to get their vaccine is Phase 2 Group 2, which includes people 65 and older, anyone with two or more medical conditions listed here, and residents and staff of low-income and affordable senior housing. The State has not yet announced when Phase 2 Group 2 vaccines will start.

• Where to find vaccine information online: Here are two sites to bookmark for more information on COVID-19 vaccines: somervillema.gov/vaccine and mass.gov/vaccine. Both are updated frequently, so check back often.

• New Somerville call-in lines for vaccine information: Last week the City launched vaccine lines that you can call into to listen to recorded updates on COVID-19 vaccine information. Vaccine line numbers:
  • English Vaccine Info Line: 617-591-3251
  • Spanish Vaccine Info Line: 617-591-3252
  • Portuguese Vaccine Info Line: 617-591-3253
  • Haitian Creole Vaccine Info Line: 617-591-3254
  • Nepali Vaccine Info Line: 617-591-3255

• New option for vaccine update phone calls: If you or someone you know would prefer to get occasional vaccine updates via a phone call, you can sign up by visiting somervillema.gov/vaccine or calling 311. If you prefer email updates, don’t worry, you won’t be missing any information if you don’t sign up for calls. All information sent out via calls will also be included in these email updates.

GENERAL COVID UPDATES

• Somerville Covid-19 Case Counts: As of February 2, a total of 4,582 Somerville residents have tested positive for COVID-19 since March, and sadly there have been 61 deaths. See the latest Somerville case data at somervillema.gov/covid19dashboard.

• Be a team player and avoid a COVID spike after the Super Bowl: No matter who you’re rooting for Sunday, we’ll all win if you forgo a traditional Super Bowl party this year. Gathering with people you don’t live with is still risky, especially with more contagious variants of COVID-19 in the U.S. Instead of having people over, consider safe alternatives like making some of your favorite game day snacks and watching with your household or meeting up with friends online or by phone to watch together.

• Updates on federal aid programs: Under the Biden administration several aid programs designed to help people experiencing economic hardship from the pandemic have been restarted or expanded. Those programs include:
  • The pause on federal student loan payments and interest collection has been extended to September 30, 2021. Visit studentaid.gov for more information.
  • The federal eviction moratorium was extended to March 31, 2021. As a reminder, Somerville’s eviction moratorium remains in place until the local state of emergency ends. If you are facing eviction or other housing issues, contact the Office of Housing Stability at somervillema.gov/ohs or 617-625-6600 ext. 2581.
  • SNAP benefits were increased by 15% on February 2. That increase is retroactive to January 1, 2021. Visit mass.gov/dta for more information on SNAP benefits.
  • The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for businesses resumed in January. For more information, visit sba.gov.

• Reopening status: Somerville is currently in a limited version of Phase 3 Step 1 of the State’s reopening guidelines. Businesses including gyms and fitness centers, movie and tv streaming productions, martial arts and dance facilities, and non-athletic instructional classes can open as of February 1 with some restrictions around capacity.

• Free COVID-19 testing: CHA Somerville Hospital offers free testing at Assembly Row and currently they are prioritizing persons with symptoms or who are household contacts of persons with COVID-19. To make an appointment, call 617-665-2928 (Mon-Fri, 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.). The mobile COVID-19 testing unit offers testing for all in our neighborhoods. To make a mobile appointment, call 617-682-0583. Mobile testing schedules, as they become available, and more testing information can be found at somervillema.gov/covidtesting. The State’s Stop the Spread testing sites are also an option, including in the nearby communities of Chelsea and Everett. For more information, visit the State’s website.