Department of Public Health

The first case of a COVID-19 variant initially found in the United Kingdom has been confirmed in Massachusetts, health officials said Sunday. The individual, a Boston woman in her 20s, came back to Boston on Jan. 3, where she remained at Logan International Airport for a two-hour layover before flying on to another state, according to the Boston Public Health…

Hospital signage and safety legislation pitched as a response to the tragic 2016 death of Laura Levis became law in Massachusetts on Friday, with Gov. Charlie Baker signing it in a ceremony at the State House. Under the law, the Department of Public Health will implement statewide standards requiring hospitals to improve lighting, signage, wayfinding and monitoring, aiming to ensure…

Massachusetts reported nearly 4,500 new confirmed coronavirus cases Friday, but cautioned that it included reports from the past two days. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health did not publish a daily COVID-19 report on Thanksgiving, which resulted in the extended period of time for new cases to be tallied. Health officials had said they would not publish Thursday’s daily coronavirus…

The Connecticut Department of Public Health is in the process of reopening COVID-19 recovery facilities in the state, acting commissioner Dr. Deirdre Gifford. COVID-19 recovery facilities are entire nursing homes or parts of nursing homes designated for the care of patients who do not need a full hospital level of coverage. Admission into a recovery facility is voluntary, Gifford said….

Several coronavirus vaccines are now in final stages for approval, but doctors are already worried that the public won’t want to take them. Dr. Paul Biddinger, who sits on the Massachusetts governor’s advisory group for COVID-19 vaccines, joined LX News to explain the many safety steps required for the vaccines to be approved for the general public and when to...

Moderna and Pfizer have now both reported that their COVID-19 vaccines have been highly effective in trials. But how do they work, and what are the differences between the two? Benjamin Neuman, a professor of biological studies at Texas A&M, breaks down the specifics of both vaccines.

All indoor ice rinks and ice skating facilities in Massachusetts are prohibited from operating for the next two weeks due to rising coronavirus cases connected to indoor ice hockey, the state’s Department of Public Health announced Thursday night. Officials say the new public health order is in response to multiple COVID-19 clusters occurring at rinks throughout the state following...

Massachusetts’ latest weekly data on the coronavirus pandemic, including the updated community-level risk assessment map, shows 63 communities considered at the highest risk for transmitting COVID-19, a new high and an increase of 23 since last week. For the first time since introducing the map, the commonwealth itself has climbed into the highest risk level. The data, from the Department…

The Department of Public Health Friday released guidance and recommendations for organized sports, including for youth and adult club sports and private leagues. It’s intended to guide local health departments, municipalities and league organizers to assess the risk of contracting COVID-19. The department said they will make another determination in the Fall or early Winter. “The COVID-19 pandemic does...

Health officials said there has been an unusually high number of infections caused by bacteria in the salt or brackish water (a mix of salt and fresh water) along Long Island Sound.

The state Department of Public Health issued a COVID-19 alert statewide for the Labor Day weekend with new concerns that infection of the virus could spread if the proper precautions and safety measures are not taken, according to a release from the department.

The Department of Public Health continues to investigate a COVID-19 outbreak at a nursing home in Norwich. According to DPH, as of last Thursday 13 residents and two staff members at Three Rivers Healthcare tested positive for the virus. Several people remain hospitalized and one person has since died. “I know that the infection is continuing to grow in that…

Family with loved ones at a Norwich nursing home that has experienced a coronavirus outbreak are concerned about their health.

A Connecticut resident has tested positive for West Nile Virus, marking the first human case in the state this year. State Dept. of Public Health officials said the person who tested positive for West Nile Virus is between 40 and 49 years old and became ill during the second week of July. Authorities said laboratory tests confirmed the presence of…

Department of Social Services Commissioner Deidre Gifford will replace Renée D. Coleman-Mitchell as head of the Department of Public Health.

Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday that the latest models show that the coronavirus surge is expected to hit Massachusetts in the next two to three weeks, sometime between April 7 and April 17. “This isn’t an exact science, but generally speaking, most of the calculations that are out there with respect to Massachusetts, both some of the ones we’ve done…

Nine more people with the new coronavirus have died in Massachusetts as of Saturday, pushing the total number of deaths in the state to 44. State health officials reported a total of 4,257 coronavirus cases, an increase of 1,017 from Friday’s total of 3,240 and the biggest single-day rise for the state. Gov. Charlie Baker has been cautioning that the…

UConn Health is ramping up its efforts to help detect the coronavirus by offering drive-thru sampling for COVID19. The health organization is looking to help with the demand of COVID-19 testing by offering to collect samples from those who believe they have symptoms of the disease, and who have a prescription from their doctor. UConn Health is strongly encouraging patients…

UConn Health is now offering drive thru testing to help state efforts to ramp up coronavirus testing, however there are some requirements to know about.