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Keller @ Large: Massachusetts Still 'Very Much Right In The Thick' Of COVID Pandemic

BOSTON (CBS) – As a State Representative, emergency room doctor, and former candidate for Mayor of Boston, Jon Santiago is very familiar with the political and health impacts of COVID-19.

Santiago talked about both aspects of the pandemic with WBZ-TV political analyst Jon Keller.

The Democrat said after a lull of COVID patients in recent months, he has seen several patients being hospitalized in the last week. Most have been unvaccinated, but Santiago said he has also seen a breakthrough case as well.

In Massachusetts, about 63% of all residents are vaccinated.

Keller asked Santiago how difficult it will be to convince those who have oppose COVID restrictions that it may be needed to mask up once again in some situations due to the highly contagious Delta variant.

"I think it'll be quite difficult," Santiago said. "My hope is we can move forward in a way that takes public health into account. My friends and my colleagues and the people I work with in the hospital, we all understand what's happening on the front lines. We see what COVID has done. It's ravished the health care system. We've done so much to come out of this pandemic, but we're still very much in the thick of it. The next couple weeks will be very pivotal in how this city and this state move forward."

Keller @ Large: Part 2

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