A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an update on COVID-19

The Public Health Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Cambridge COVID-19 UPDATE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL MARCH 28, 2022

Expiration of Mask Order ●As of March 14, mask wearing was optional in most settings; the mask order for city buildings expired last night ●Marks a policy-based transfer of responsibility to individual residents ●Need to consider actual risk and risk tolerance ●Emphasis on importance of respect for personal choice 2

Omicron BA.2 Variant ●According to DPH, BA.2 is now the predominant variant in MA ●BA.2 vs BA.1 ○no increase in hospitalizations ○30 - 50% more transmissible ●Current BA.2 surge in Europe; unclear whether we will see a similar surge ●Increases in cases may be due to BA.2 or behavior change 3

Middlesex and Cambridge COVID-19 Cases 4

Cases in Higher Ed 5

Vaccine Update Current vaccine rates for the City of Cambridge: 92% first dose; 76% fully vaccinated; 47% boosted Introducing Weekly Windsor Street Clinic ●Wednesdays, 2:00 - 4:00, beginning April 6 ●By appointment only Watching development related to: ●vaccines for young children ●additional boosters for older adults 6

C3 Update ●Operation Chicken Soup continues ●C3 staff back in parks, outdoor spaces ●We’re hiring! Contact: [email removed] 7