MA Science Policy Network

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Hey ! This is it! It’s Election Day in America, and it’s time to hit the polls if you haven’t voted already.

Polls will be open from a minimum of 7AM-8PM statewide. You may drop a ballot off at a designated drop box until 8PM tonight for a mail-in ballot to be counted in the 11/3 General Election.

Need some information before you head to the polls? Check out our link in bio to find the following and more:

Want to check your voter registration? Go to www.RegisterToVoteMA.com

Don’t know where your polling location is? Go to www.WhereDoIVoteMA.com

Not sure what’s on the ballot? Consult our voter toolkit in English and Spanish if you vote in Worcester or check out ballotpedia.org, ballotready.org, and/or vote411.org for ballot information.

Need to double-check voter ID laws in Massachusetts? Check out infographics from and .

Polls will be open 7am-8pm statewide on Election Day.

You can vote at your polling place if:
-You haven't already voted OR
-Your ballot hasn't reached your local election office yet OR
-Your ballot was rejected.

TrackMyBallotMA.com - link in our bio!

Debugging the Flu Vaccine (Pt 2)

Why is the flu vaccine different every year?
Flu viruses mutate, or experience changes in their DNA, to attempt to evade our immune systems. This makes it impossible to create and use a single vaccine against the flu.
Twice per year, patient data is sent to the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centers where three or four viruses that are predicted to be highly infectious during are used to create the vaccine.
How effective is the flu vaccine?
New vaccines are made annually, so vaccine effectiveness also changes. The average range of effectiveness is 40-60%.

What other components are used to make the vaccine besides the virus?
Vaccines require additional components to ensure proper production and safety of the vaccine. These are common products that are found in the body or in materials that we consume regularly. These include:
* Preservatives that prevent contamination (found in certain types of fish)
* Adjuvants to improve the body's immune response to the vaccine (aluminum salts found in drinking water, baby formula, and antacids)
* Stabilizers to maintain the effectiveness of the vaccine (sugars + gelatin found commonly in foods)
* Residual cell culture materials used to create the vaccine (chicken egg materials)
* Low levels of residual ingredients to inactivate viruses or toxins during vaccine creation (found naturally in the body)
* Residual antibiotics to prevent contamination during the making of the vaccine (typically used for bacterial infections and use types that aren't common allergens)

Why is it particularly important to get a flu vaccine in 2020
It is more important than ever that people be protected against the flu during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are two key reasons why:
* Research has shown that patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and influenza experience more severe symptoms than SARS-CoV-2 alone.
* If there is a high number of people who become severely infected with influenza and require hospitalization, shortages of beds and materials can be made worse. This then directly impacts the available care for patients with severe COVID-19 symptoms who require hospitalization.

ATTN: If you became an American citizen after the voter registration deadline on October 24th in Massachusetts, you may still register to vote in person until 4 PM on Monday, November 2nd at your local election office.

Find your local election office for your city or town at https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleev/ev-find-my-election-office.htm and call to make arrangements to register in-person if you’d like to vote on Tuesday, November 3rd in the 2020 General Election!