The first phase of COVID–19 vaccinations is underway. Somerville Public Safety personnel are getting vaccines next week. Cambridge Health Alliance has been steadily vaccinating health workers with success, and now the city has just received 500 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine that were administered to first responders and 911 staff starting January 12 as part of Phase 1 vaccinations. For information on where you fall in the state’s vaccine rollout plan, check the timeline on the state’s website: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-vaccination-program. This is rapidly evolving information that may be subject to change, and city staff will continue to keep you updated via emails, their website, and other outreach. Have more questions about the vaccine? The Department of Public Health has a list of FAQs online and watch for a continually updated list of more FAQs at somervillema.gov/covidvaccine.

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The city reports that in December, Somerville had at least 1,135 new COVID-19 cases. That’s more cases than the three previous months combined, and that number may rise as end of the month tests are reported. As we move into our tenth month of dealing with this pandemic, it is vital that we all continue doing our part to stop the spread. That includes wearing a face covering that covers your noses and mouths whenever you’re in public, not gathering with anyone you don’t live with, and staying home if you feel ill or have been exposed as a close contact to someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Taking these steps helps protect you; your family, friends, and neighbors; essential workers; and those who are more vulnerable to COVID-19. As of January 7, a total of 3,474 Somerville residents have tested positive for COVID-19 since March, another 222 are considered probable positive cases (some current, some in the past), and sadly there have been 53 deaths. See more Somerville case data at somervillema.gov/covid19dashboard.

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Happy birthday this week to several locals: Happy birthday to Katie McDaid, a great person. We wish her a great day. Happy birthday to retired high school teacher Marion Joyce. She was a great teacher. We wish her a happy birthday. Happy birthday to Bill Rogers of Winter Hill, a nice guy and we wish him the very best of birthdays. Happy birthday to James Ribeiro, we wish him a great birthday. Happy birthday to Donna Desrescente. We wish her the very best. Big time birthday greetings to Ken Kotch, a great photographer. We wish him the very best. We wish all of our Facebook friends, such as Suzanne Ryan Marks, Paul Nunziato, Leslie Figueira, Donna Marie DAlelio and Rachel Tonello a very happy birthday. We hope everyone has a great day. To all the others we may have missed, we sincerely wish them the very best of birthdays.

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Our hearts go out to the Ferro family. Our own photographer, Claudia Ferro, and her family lost their home to a fire. The community has been stepping in and helping them out however they can, and for that the family expressed how grateful and overwhelmed with happiness they are towards everyone. If you would like to help out, a gofundme fundraiser for Claudia Ferro page has been set up by their granddaughter, Arianna Andujar: https://gofund.me/a0fcdde3. It also gives an address where things can be dropped off. They will be publishing a thank you in our paper once things settle down, but they wanted us to share how grateful they are for all the help.

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Somerville’s Winter Farmer’s Market takes place Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., through April 10, at 191 Highland Ave. Offering the best locally grown and produced agricultural items and more. Online pre-order market with a small outdoor “live” shopping market. They offer a diverse range of local and New England produce, as well as cheese, eggs, meats, fish, breads, pastries, chocolate, and wine. They feature rotating guest vendors each week, as well as live entertainment and activities. Check out the schedule and map here: http://maps.managemymarket.com/1610. They accept SNAP/EBT, CREDIT and DEBIT cards. $10 SNAP match for EBT customers. For market information visit: http://www.somwintermarket.org/

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The Highlander Theatre Company presents three live streaming performances of Clue, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, January 15-17. All shows begin at 7:00 p.m. and ticket price is “pay what you can.” Based on the 1985 movie, which itself was based on the classic Hasbro board game, Clue is a farce-meets-murder mystery. Each performance is followed by a fun and interactive post-show activity. For more information, please visit https://www.highlandertheatre.org/live.

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Apply for small business relief funds. The City of Somerville has made $5 million available to small businesses in its third round of the Small Business COVID-19 Relief Fund. Eligible businesses can apply for grants of up to $25,000. Applications are now available and will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Learn more about the funding, including eligibility requirements, or apply for funds online.

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The Pandemic – Electronic Transfer (P-EBT) Program created spring 2020 to provide eligible families funds to purchase food while schools were closed during the COVID-19 pandemic has been extended through the end of the 2020-21 school year. Visit https://www.map-ebt.org/home/#ihdtab for additional information.

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The city is still accepting homemade face masks as part of their 10,000 Mask Drive. They have passed the 5,000 mask milestone. Can you help get it to 10,000? If you’re a crafty Somerville resident who has been sewing reusable face masks, please consider donating some to our 10,000 Mask Drive. After being laundered, masks are distributed to seniors and other vulnerable populations. If you would like to donate masks, put them in a sealed bag and bring them to the drop box at either the Central Library, 79 Highland Ave., or the East Branch Library, 115 Broadway.

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CHA Somerville Hospital offers free COVID-19 testing at Assembly Row. To make an appointment, call 617-665-2928, Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The mobile COVID-19 testing unit also offers testing in our neighborhoods. Mobile testing schedules and more information on both can be found under the “Symptoms, Testing, & Medical Info” tab on somervillema.gov/covid19. The state also operates several Stop the Spread testing sites, including in the nearby communities of Chelsea and Everett. For more information, visit the state’s website: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/stop-the-spread.

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In collaboration with The Beautiful Stuff Project, the City of Somerville, and with generous support from Cradles to Crayons and individual donors, Somerville Family Learning Collaborative volunteers distribute free diapers to Somerville families every Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., outside of the East Somerville Community School, 50 Cross St., (Glen St. side) and West Somerville Neighborhood School, 177 Powderhouse Blvd. Home deliveries will be provided for emergency and quarantined families. You can help raise awareness and resources to address diaper need by contributing here to The Beautiful Stuff Project’s diaper wish list, or contacting SPS/SFLC Volunteer Coordinator JCapuano@k12.somerville.ma.us to volunteer or donate diapers.

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If you need assistance accessing food, there are several resources available to you locally. Visit the COVID-19 Help page at https://www.somervillema.gov/departments/covid-19-help-food-housing-and-financial-assistance to learn more. There you will find a chart that includes local food pantry schedules, contact information, languages spoken at the food pantry, and whether or not you need to bring ID.

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Hate incidents impact victims as well as the community. In an effort to make reporting hate incidents easier for the residents of Somerville, you may now report them using an online form. Visit the Somerville Police website under the Home tab and submit your Hate Incident report: www.somervillepd.com/home/.