BOSTON (CBS) — The COVID positivity rate in Boston is at 32%, Boston Public Health Commission Director Dr. Bisola Ojikutu said Saturday. That’s up from 22% last week. The city is holding a number of COVID vaccine clinics this week in an effort to protect residents.
The numbers don’t surprise resident Natasha Boscna. She was at the vaccine clinic at Madison Park Technical Vocational School in Roxbury to get her young daughter vaccinated and get a booster for herself.
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“I’m not surprised, everyone is getting it. My daughter has it — my other daughter. There’s family members that have it. So it’s spreading more. That’s why we are here to get her and her vaccinated, it’s important,” Boscna said.
The Madison Park Technical Vocational School clinic is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. The clinic offers first and second doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, boosters for those ages 12 and up, and pediatric vaccines for children ages 5-11. Registration is encouraged.
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Vaccine clinics at Brooke Charter School locations in East Boston and Mattapan are also running from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Walk-ins are welcome.
“With our positivity rate being over 30% these new few weeks are going to be difficult. We need to look out for each other. We need to wear well-fitting masks over our nose and mouth, stay home if you are sick, get tested, get vaccinated, and get boosted,” Ojikutu said before the Madison Park Technical Vocational School clinic opened. “Only 41% of Bostonians are currently boosted and we have a lot of work to do.”
“People can get sick from COVID-19. People do get sick from COVID-19, particularly those who are unvaccinated. So people who are being hospitalized, are being hospitalized with COVID-19 because they need to be. I think that we can’t underestimate this variant just because we believe based on the studies that are out there that it may be more mild,” Ojikuta added.
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She also said the city is working to expand access to testing.