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A booster shot is an extra dose of a vaccine that can help 'boost' the immune system to better protect against disease. COVID-19 vaccines work very well to protect against serious illness and death. However, protection against more moderate disease may decrease over time. Recent research shows that a Pfizer COVID-19 booster shot strengthens the immune response in people who had had their second Pfizer shot at least 6 months earlier.
CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H., endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation for a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in certain populations and also recommended a booster dose for those in high risk occupational and institutional settings. The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) authorization and CDC’s guidance for use are important steps forward as we work to stay ahead of the virus and keep Americans safe.
Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Cambridge, Cambridge Public Health Department, and our partners have been working to protect the health and safety of those who live and work in Cambridge.
The City of Cambridge would like your feedback on a proposed expansion of bus-only lanes and separated bike lanes on Massachusetts Avenue between Douglass Street to Memorial Drive.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a uniquely stressful time for almost everyone. Depression and anxiety are a normal response to stress. The MassSupport Network was established to provide free support services to people of all ages living in Massachusetts. The program is a partnership of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health and Riverside Community Care.
The City of Cambridge extends a warm welcome to returning university students and staff after a year and a half of interrupted academic life. COVID-19 vaccines and increased knowledge of measures that help control the spread of the virus will help students have a more traditional residential experience this fall. The City’s three largest academic institutions - Harvard, MIT, and Lesley - report high vaccination rates among their students and employees.
The City of Cambridge issued an emergency order requiring that face masks or coverings be worn in indoor public places. The order takes effect at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, September 3, 2021. It applies to everyone over the age of two years old, with exceptions in alignment with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health guidelines.
The City of Cambridge today announced that, beginning September 8, 2021, the City will expand its free COVID-19 testing program to four days per week with walk-in sites on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
Today (August 23, 2021), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has been known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, and will now be marketed as Comirnaty (koe-mir’-na-tee), for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older. The vaccine also continues to be available under emergency use authorization (EUA), including for individuals 12 through 15 years of age and for the administration of a third dose in certain immunocompromised individuals.
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