The number of COVID-19 continues to grow as the Moderna vaccine is added to the Massachusetts pandemic arsenal.

The Boston Children’s Hospital on Sunday identified a cluster of 13 cases in a single unit. Meanwhile, Mayor Ted Bettencourt of Peabody, one of the state’s most risky communities, announced on Saturday that it tested positive for COVID-19.

According to a hospital statement, the children’s hospital said two patients and 11 staff members in the same unit tested positive for COVID-19. The incident was reported to the state on Thursday.

“We perform contact tracing and testing on patients and staff who come into contact with these patients, and a series of precautions to ensure that all patients and staff are safe and protected. We are taking steps, “said the statement.

Patients, families and staff have been notified, according to the statement.

According to the Public Health Service, the number of confirmed cases reported on Sunday totaled 311,090 in Massachusetts. The number of confirmed deaths has reached 11,465.

The state reported that 82,617 were estimated to have potentially deadly active cases of the virus and 1,919 confirmed coronavirus patients were hospitalized.

Moderna vaccines, such as those developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, contain two doses given at weekly intervals. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was launched last week in Massachusetts and has been given to healthcare professionals.

According to a statement from the COVID-19 Response Command Center on Sunday, the state ordered 120,000 initial doses of Moderna vaccine, which will be shipped to more than 200 healthcare facilities throughout the state.

The Moderna vaccine comes after the state faced a recession in the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine late last week. Federal regulators have informed Massachusetts authorities to reduce state drug allocationsFrom 59,000+ to 42,900 shipments in the next few shipments.

The state is currently planning to receive 145,275 Pfizer vaccines by the end of December, a statement on Sunday said. This is about a 20 percent reduction from the expected 180,000 doses.

As of Friday, 17,573 doses of the vaccine had been administered in Massachusetts, the statement said.

Patients and workers in Massachusetts care facilities, including nursing homes, will begin vaccination on December 28, according to the Command Center.

According to a Command Center statement, CVS and Walgreens will administer these doses without delay due to the reduction of the Pfizer vaccine.

Talagregorio, president of the Massachusetts Senior Care Association, said in a statement on Sunday that the vaccine dose would be given to residents and workers.

The effects of the pandemic were still felt throughout the state as authorities were preparing to deploy a broader vaccination effort.

In Peabody, Bettencourt said on Friday that he was informed that he was positive on the COVID-19 test after contracting for a home infection, the mayor said in a Facebook post on Saturday. Bettencourt said he was experiencing mild symptoms.

He encouraged people to follow public health guidance and noted an increase in coronavirus cases.

Peabody is classified by the state as at high risk for this disease. On Thursday, the state reported 827 new cases of COVID-19 in Peabody over the past two weeks.

According to the state public health service, there have been 3,081 COVID-19 cases in the city since the pandemic began.

“The number of our COVID-19s is still growing rapidly,” Bettencourt said in a post. “Continue to take all important precautions to combat this virus.”

The effects of the coronavirus also reached the heart of the Red Sox Nation after long-time star Jason Varitek. Positive for illness test, His wife Catherine Baritec wrote on Twitter on Saturday.

She said the previous player was doing well for the most part and was self-isolating.

In Newton, authorities have created a bitter reminder of coronavirus labor costs. The lawn outside the city hall is lined with empty black chairs. “As you pass by, you will remember that each empty chair reflects a lost life,” Mayor Rutan Fuller said in a statement.

The monument is Built just before Thanksgiving, And modeled on similar compliments made in other cities, Fuller said.

As of Wednesday, the city reported in Newton that 160 people had died from the disease. Since the beginning of the spring pandemic, there have been more than 1,900 cases.

John Hilliard can be reached at [email protected]..