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CIC, C10 Labs launch an AI hub in Kendall Square

C10 Labs and CIC want to make Kendall Square a global AI hub.

Business

Where Greater Boston residents face highest housing cost burden

Nearly half of Boston residents spend more than 30% of income on housing.

News

Feds bust upscale brothels in Watertown, Cambridge

Watertown and Cambridge apartments allegedly hosted high-end clients.

Where to have a cozy fireside dinner in Boston

There's nothing quite as romantic as a fireside dinner.

Things to Do

Boston's still a remote work hub, for now

The city's share of remote workers fell above last year's national average of 15%, but lower than other cities.

One-fifth of Boston metro area residents worked from home in 2022, down from a peak of nearly 27% a year earlier, new census figures show.What&#x27;s happening: Boston remains a remote work hub, like many other major U.S. cities, but remote tech workers joined the exodus of people leaving Massachusetts in 2022, Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao told state lawmakers earlier this year.

A line graph showing 20.8% of Boston-area people work from home, lower than 2021 but higher than 2019. It's also higher than the national share, 15.2%

How to get free Paxlovid in Massachusetts

You can get the treatment at no cost with just a couple steps on your part.

👋 Steph here. When I tested positive for COVID-19 last week, I assumed the state&#x27;s hotline and resources had all vanished at this stage of the pandemic.<ul><li>Fortunately, I was wrong.</li></ul>Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="COVID-19 cases" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2023/08/03/covid-summer-cases-wastewater" data-vars-content-id="fc13fa73-4037-44dc-ac78-dba8466fda5e" data-vars-headline="How to get free Paxlovid in Massachusetts" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2023/08/03/covid-summer-cases-wastewater" target="_self">COVID-19 cases</a> are on the rise again, and the state can get you Paxlovid with just a couple steps on your part.

Someone with clear gloves holds out the package of Paxlovid tablets next to two Paxlovid boxes.

Boston's back-to-school COVID guidance as a new strain spreads

The first day of school comes as a new COVID strain is spreading.

Education

Boston health officials are urging families to stock up on COVID-19 tests as the school year starts Thursday.Why it matters: The first day of school comes as a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new COVID-19 strain" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2023/08/11/latest-covid-strain-seattle" data-vars-content-id="4d6e8dde-59af-4c7e-b5b6-1f3b2fb8b296" data-vars-headline="Boston&#x27;s back-to-school COVID guidance as a new strain spreads" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2023/08/11/latest-covid-strain-seattle" target="_self">new COVID-19 strain</a> is spreading, and updated boosters are still weeks away.

Illustration of an apple wearing a covid mask.

Massachusetts kindergarten vaccine exemption rate steady since 2012

The Bay State is bucking a national trend.

COVID

Massachusetts kindergarten students are arriving at school exempt from the state&#x27;s vaccine requirements at the same rate as about a decade ago.<ul><li>The Bay State is bucking a national trend that&#x27;s seen a spike in exemptions for young students amid the public debate over vaccine efficacy.</li></ul>

What's happening with COVID hospitalizations in the state

Hospitalizations were more common last summer.

Infections tied to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="COVID-19" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2023/08/03/covid-summer-cases-wastewater" data-vars-content-id="640685a9-73c6-47ee-8920-d0b07f762c10" data-vars-headline="What&#x27;s happening with COVID hospitalizations in the state" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2023/08/03/covid-summer-cases-wastewater" target="_self">COVID-19</a> continue to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="increase" data-vars-click-url="https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-response-reporting#covid-19-interactive-data-dashboard-" data-vars-content-id="640685a9-73c6-47ee-8920-d0b07f762c10" data-vars-headline="What&#x27;s happening with COVID hospitalizations in the state" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-response-reporting#covid-19-interactive-data-dashboard-" target="_blank">increase</a>, but hospitalizations are ticking down in Massachusetts.Driving the news: The Bay State saw an estimated 2.47 hospitalizations per 100,000 people in July, a 2% decline from a month earlier, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A line graph showing Massachusetts' hospitalization rate is 2.5 per 100K people, while the nation's is 2.3.

COVID clawing its way back this summer

The sun is finally out and about in Boston. So is our old friend COVID-19.What&#x27;s happening: The Deer Island wastewater testing program has been recording an uptick in the virus flushed into Boston&#x27;s sewer system since late June.

A data visualization showing that Covid viral loads in Boston wastewater have rise from June to July 2023, the highest levels have been since early spring 2023.

Massachusetts data shows drain of family doctors

3.6% of the state’s primary care physicians left the field in 2020.

Massachusetts officials released new data today confirming what doctors already <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="suspected" data-vars-click-url="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/04/21/opinion/primary-care-is-life-support/" data-vars-content-id="6402a398-e56a-49c1-8454-93e0ab5bd636" data-vars-headline="Massachusetts data shows drain of family doctors" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/04/21/opinion/primary-care-is-life-support/" target="_blank">suspected</a>: Primary care physicians left their specialty at a higher rate than the national average, exacerbating challenges for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.Driving the news: 3.6% of the state’s primary care physicians left the field in 2020, the most recent year the data was available, according to the Center for Health Information and Analysis.

Illustration of a health professional carrying a cardboard box packed with office items.

Researchers bring push for clinical trial diversity to Boston area

Women and nonwhite people have historically been left out of clinical research for life-saving medicine.

A company that tested COVID-19 vaccine shots for Moderna and other major manufacturers aims to boost diversity in clinical trials with help from its new Brookline site.Why it matters: Women and nonwhite people have historically been left out of clinical research for life-saving medicine, and DM Clinical Research is trying to change that, CEO Mohammad Millwala tells Axios.

Mohammad Millwala, CEO of DM Clinical Research, reads remarks he printed out on a piece of white paper at the grand opening of the Brookline site.

New COVID wave hits Boston

Suffolk County is now experiencing high community spread.

A new wave of COVID-19 is hitting Boston nearly three years after the start of the pandemic.Why it matters: Boston officials are asking people to mask up, maintain social distancing and avoid large crowds while the spread is still high.

Illustration of a stop sign shaped like a covid particle.

Gov. Charlie Baker signs "step therapy" bill

Step therapy is when patients are required to try using cheaper drugs in their recovery before "stepping up" to pricier meds.

Patients in Massachusetts will have better access to a wider array of medications after Gov. Charlie Baker signed a bill yesterday that was unanimously approved by lawmakers.The big picture: The so-called &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="step therapy" data-vars-click-url="https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/H4929" data-vars-content-id="a6b31d19-74a5-4be1-988a-2f40d4fb2034" data-vars-headline="Gov. Charlie Baker signs &quot;step therapy&quot; bill" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/H4929" target="_blank">step therapy</a>&quot; bill will curtail the policy of insurance providers insisting on lower-cost treatments before approving coverage of more expensive medications.

Illustration of a prescription bottle surrounded by plus signs and circles

COVID 🦠