Northeast States Deploy Soldiers and Home Tests in COVID Battle

(Sourced from American Military News) – New York is requiring masks in all indoor places across the state. Massachusetts is sending free home COVID-19 test kits to its poorest areas. Maine has activated its National Guard to help hospitals.

In the U.S. Northeast, officials are trying every tactic to control a winter surge that has emergency rooms overflowing and infection rates soaring.

The surge is happening in some of the nation’s most vaccinated states. In Massachusetts, where 88% of the population has had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the state will send out more than 2 million rapid antigen tests to the poorest communities, Governor Charlie Baker said Monday.

“These temporary measures will help us get through the holiday season safely,” Governor Kathy Hochul said. “I share everyone’s frustration that we have gotten to this point, especially with the vaccine at our disposal.”

Since the nation’s Thanksgiving holiday Nov. 25, New York state’s seven-day average case rate has increased 43% and hospitalizations have increased 29%. While the percentage of New Yorkers fully vaccinated continues to increase — gaining 2 percentage points from Thanksgiving weekend — the pace isn’t fast enough to curb the spread of the virus, Hochul said.

“You’re seeing the trend lines with cases going up, hospitalizations going up, so we need to attack on all fronts,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a briefing Monday. “We can see the handwriting on the wall” as shutdowns are happening in Europe, he said. Read Full Article >