A look at pandemic-related news around New England on Sunday:
New Hampshire residents aged 50 and older on Monday may start signing up for appointments to get COVID-19 vaccinations.
A new registration system went online last week. Gov. Chris Sununu said Thursday that all New Hampshire adults will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in a matter of weeks.
The Boston St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast is back, virtually.
The event was canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. The “bring your own breakfast” version happened Sunday morning via Zoom, NBC Boston reported.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Gov. Charlie Baker, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Reps. Stephen Lynch and Ayanna Presley, Attorney General Maura Healey and Senate President Karen Spilka were expected to participate.
“While the event this year will be a bit different, we are excited to bring back this great Boston celebration, support community relief efforts and enjoy the cultural traditions of the Irish this St. Patrick’s Day weekend,” state Sen. Nick Collins told the Boston Herald. “As we emerge from this pandemic, it’s important we remember the importance of community.”
Schools around Rhode Island may resume having spectators at youth sporting events starting on Monday.
WPRI reports that the Rhode Island Interscholastic League Principals’ Committee On Athletics has unanimously approved eliminating the no spectator policy due to the changing guidance from the state.
Venues and school athletic facilities may impose additional conditions or restrictions to comply with executive orders and regulations, the station reported.
A fishing group in Maine surpassed 200,000 seafood meals in its drive to donate food to people in need over the past year.
The Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association said it surpassed the mark in early March. The group has been donating Maine mainstays such as pollock, haddock and monkfish. It has been working with Good Shepherd Food Bank on the donation project.
The fishermen’s association said the program is designed to help fishermen in the state by buying local fish, using local businesses to process and package it, and donating it to people suffering from food insecurity. The group said it has purchased about 145,000 pounds of local seafood.
The association said it has been supported by hundreds of individuals, foundations, nonprofits and businesses as well as the state via the federal coronavirus relief act.
A Vermont musician is trying to get more new Americans vaccinated through a music video.
Kerubo Webster, a native of Kenya who is also a social worker, told NECN that her recent video encourages new Americans to protect themselves and others against COVID-19 through vaccines.
“Save your family, save your lives, reclaim your lives,” Webster said. “We can achieve this if we do it together.”
The music video is called “Chanjo,” which means “to vaccinate” in Swahili, she said.
Sara Chesbrough, who works on equity issues for the Vermont Health Department, said the state has made coronavirus information available in English and the 10 other most commonly spoken languages in Vermont. But she said grassroots efforts like Webster’s can help build trust among people who may be hesitant to get a vaccine or who may not be tuned into traditional government messages, the news station reported.