😬💉 Mass. is NOT throwing away its shots

It’s Thursday, Boston.

⛳ BREAKING: We have 40 free tickets to a sweet putt putt pop-up! Putt Across America tours iconic American landmarks (like Niagara Falls and Bourbon Street) via mini golf, and it’s coming to Faneuil Hall this Saturday. They’ve gifted us 10 bundles of four tickets (normally $25) valid through Sept. 21. We’re dropping them tomorrow, so become a B-Side Member to get in on the deal!

👀 What’s on tap today:

• All aboard the spooky train!

• Market Basket gives "Succession"

• Trademark rejections (Jordon’s version)

Up first…

HEALTH

COVID booster confusion

If getting a booster is on your fall checklist, you’ve likely been … very confused. And with *gestures at everything* going on, who could blame you? 

With primetime vaccine season just around the corner, we’re breaking down what we know about getting a COVID booster in Mass. (right now, anyway):

😷 It all started with the feds’ major vaccine flip-flop. Under the leadership of vaccine skeptic RFK Jr., the FDA broke from tradition and only authorized COVID boosters for those over 65 or with major health concerns. Meanwhile, the CDC panel that would typically have the final word on whether Mass. pharmacists could administer the shots (which usually releases its recommendations in June), wasn’t scheduled to meet until next week.

🙅 Which severely limited access to boosters. While the new guidance doesn’t *technically* stop anyone from getting the shot, it does make it significantly harder. Under it, many pharmacies simply wouldn’t carry boosters, and insurance wouldn’t have to cover them (they can cost up to $200). Cue major confusion and panic.

💉 But Mass. decided to call its own shots. Soon after the federal recs were handed down, Gov. Healey jumped into action: First, she essentially gave every Mass. resident over five-years-old a COVID booster prescription, and then required insurers to cover the cost of COVID and other vaccines recommended by *state* (not federal) health officials. Her mandates cleared the way for healthy, young adults in Mass. to get the shots, and for major pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens to take appointments.

🤝 And Mass. is collabing with nearby states on public health policies. In an effort to craft a unified response, officials in most New England states, plus New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, have been in talks about coordinating alternative vaccine guidelines. So far, on Sept. 1 and Aug. 15, respectively, Mass. and Connecticut quietly dropped their similar regional guidance for healthcare workers exposed to respiratory viruses. 

⏰ All that said, getting a shot may still take time. Despite Healey’s orders, many local pharmacies and hospitals are still waiting to receive the vaccines, which means appointments may not be available just yet (though some are!). But per the Globe, when the vaccines start rolling in (which should be soon), more will open up.

📅 Want an appointment? We were able to schedule same-day COVID booster appointments at CVS and Walgreens (though FWIW, both asked us to check a box confirming we have an underlying condition or are over 65). Also: Healey’s insurance requirement doesn’t in practice apply to every insurer in the state, which, yes, is confusing. So if you’re worried about being charged, check with your insurer first to be safe.

A WORD FROM THE B-SIDE TEAM 

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CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

👻 Yet another reason NOT to drive to Salem in October: The commuter rail is once again offering extended weekend service to and from the city during its annual Haunted Happenings, the largest Halloween celebration in the world. The Newburyport/Rockport Line will see a service bump during peak hours on Saturdays and Sundays all month long — 170,000+ people rode the train to Salem during 2024 celebrations on weekends alone! Trains will run normally on Halloween (about every 30 minutes). The schedule will be available here soon. And don’t forget your $10 weekend pass!

🚇 Sorry, WHAT did the T just say? According to the Globe, despite decades of advocacy and even a lawsuit, almost 10% of the T’s announcements are “faint, distorted, or nonexistent,” (which, frankly, feels a little low in our experience). While wonky announcements are universally annoying, when it comes to tourists or the 15,000+ Bostonians with blindness or serious difficulty seeing, they can be the difference between an average commute and a major inconvenience. Apparently, the worst offenders are the Red and Green Lines, which see ~20% and ~11% of garbled announcements, respectively.

🛒 Market Basket gave its CEO the boot. The iconic grocery store’s board finally did the thing Logan Roy’s children couldn’t stomach: ousted their CEO, Arthur T. Demoulas (a.k.a. Artie T.). The news comes after years of feuds over transparency, succession planning, and more that pitted him against his sisters, who are also in the family biz (this isn’t the first time the Demoulas fam kicked him out). But this time seems legit. The board said the firing won’t change company culture or prices. Just don’t touch those playlists!

😋 Foodies, start your engines! New this month: You no longer need to carve out an hour to enjoy the Daily Catch’s offerings. The seafood spot has debuted a take-out window two doors down from its OG North End location, serving a special menu of drool-worthy fish sandwiches, lobster rolls, chowder, and a few special surprises. Meanwhile, the only good news about summer ending: Flour Bakery + Café’s new fall menu, including seasonal staples like apple pie, PSLs, and original creations like cheese-it biscuits, honeycomb lattes, and a sweet potato sammy.

QUICK QUESTION!

🧙 Do you go to Salem’s Haunted Happenings? 

ONE LAST THING

Trademark rejections (Jordon’s version)

Sure, “do your job” and “no days off” might’ve come out of Bill Belichick’s mouth. But according to a stack of rejected trademark applications, the phrases still belong to the Pats. 

A while back, Belichick’s 24-year-old GF Jordon Hudson (ever heard of her?) filed a slew of trademark applications to reclaim Belichick’s iconic sayings … in the style of one Taylor Swift. Think: “Do Your Job (Bill's Version)” and “Ignore the Noise (Bill's Version).” 

But this week, the four apps in that format each got a big N-O from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on the grounds that, basically, you can’t just slap your name on something and make it new. Meaning, Gia and Emily couldn’t just trademark “Green Monster (Gia and Emily’s Version)” because, well, the Red Sox. 

— Written by Gia Orsino, Emily Schario, and Claire Nicholas

🙅 Thanks for reading! That said, “Green Monster (Gia and Emily’s Version)” does have a nice ring to it …

🍝 The results are in: 52% of B-Siders would rather ball out at a swanky La Padrona meal than have an Irish feast at McGonagle’s, or pass on both. One reader said: “I'm more of a charcuterie board and wine from Star Market person!” Now THAT we can get behind.

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