Health

All seven mass vaccination sites to close As the administration focuses on targeted outreach to unvaccinated residents, Gov. Charlie Baker announced in June all seven of the state's high-volume mass vaccination sites would close by mid-July. Almost 3.7 million people in Massachusetts have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and nearly 4.5 million people have received at least one shot. The strategy of using mass vaccination sites to deliver shots to residents in the early stages of the state's COVID-19 vaccination was central to the administration's strategy, but was also questioned at times by lawmakers and others over why Baker chose to prioritize limited doses for these sites. The administration said Gillette Stadium, which was the first mass vaccination site to open, will be the first to close on June 14. The Foxborough stadium will be followed in closing by the Hynes Convention Center on June 2, the Natick Mall on June 23, the Reggie Lewis Center on June 27, The Doubletree Hotel in Danvers on June 30 and the Eastfield Mall in Springfield on July 6. The site at the former Circuit City in Dartmouth will be the last to close on July 13. The administration said CIC Health and Curative will continue to support community mobile vaccination efforts. Health Care Br iefs S tudents, faculty and staff wanting to participate in upcoming semesters must now be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at Worcester schools the College of the Holy Cross, Clark University, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The three join Anna Maria College in Paxton, each of the state's public university campuses, including Fitchburg, Framingham and Worcester state universities, and MCPHS University, which has a A udio equipment manufacturer Bose, headquartered in Framingham, has announced new direct-to-consumer hearing aids that use an app to allow users to skip a doctor visit, hearing test or prescription. The new SoundControl Hearing Aids are the first U.S. Food & Drug Administration-cleared, direct-to- consumer hearing aid developed for adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss, according to a May release from the company. Holy Cross, WPI, Clark join colleges requiring COVID vaccines for fall semester campus in downtown Worcester. Community colleges, including Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner and Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester have said they won't require vaccines, not wanting to worsen potential health inequities among members of its campuses. UMass Medical School in Worcester also is not requiring the vaccine, although it strongly recommends them for students, staff, and faculty. Clark President David Fithian made the announcement of the vaccine requirement in May in a letter to the campus community, saying everyone had to show their proof of vaccination by July 15. WPI, similarly, is requiring its campus community to show proof of vaccination by Aug. 1. The Holy Cross requirement doesn't have a specific deadline, but says proof must be shown before students return for the fall semester or summer activities. The new Boxborough home of German contract development and manufacturing firm Vibalogics I n n o v a t i o n Bose launches direct-to-consumer hearing aids Using the Bose Hear app, users can fit, program and control the hearing aid, making adjustments in real-time without a healthcare professional. The hearing aids will be sold direct- ly from Bose for $849.95 starting May 18 in five states: Massachusetts, Montana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas, with nationwide availability to follow. This is a fraction of the cost of most traditional hearing aids, according to Bose. 4 HE ALTH • Winter 2020 H PHOTO/WBJ FILE H

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