As Massachusetts crosses an important milestone for vaccines this weekend, it will soon take another step to further accelerate vaccination across the country.
As of Monday, Natick Mall is launching as the state’s newest mass vaccination site, joining four others already available to residents eligible to receive their shots.
The Natick website, operated by LabCorp, plans to give about 500 doses per day of the vaccine. Eventually, officials there hope to administer about 3,000 doses a day.
The site is starting to administer 500 doses per day to begin with, aiming to scale up to 3000 per day.
The Natick Mall joins Gillette Stadium, Fenway Park, the DoubleTree in Danvers and the Eastfield Mall in Springfield, as the mass vaccination sites have so far opened in the state. The former Circuit City in Dartmouth is expected to open on February 24.
People say a fifth mass vaccination site is a step in the right direction, but they say there is not enough yet.
“I think we need more vaccination sites near the Cape cod area because there are a lot of older people who need vaccinations and the rest of the age group, and they drive long distances to get the chance,” said Benjamin Baker of Raynham said. , said.
“I think it’s a great idea, especially since there are so many people who have not gotten it yet, and with all these viruses going on, it’s better to have more websites,” said Tammi Stevens, also of Raynham. said.
The federal government blamed the delays in winter weather and staff shortages. In Framingham, Saturday’s coronavirus clinic was postponed for two weeks before the state announced that more than 135,000 doses had arrived three days earlier than expected.
Mass vaccination centers currently account for about half of the available appointments, according to the state’s vaccination searcher’s website.
The state reached a critical milestone on Saturday, announcing that more than one million people have now received the first dose of the vaccine and that more than 370,000 have already had their second dose.
In total, nearly 1.4 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in the Bay State.
The good news comes after a frustrating week of setbacks in the state’s vaccination process, including expected delayed shipments of vaccine doses due to inclement weather.
More than a hundred thousand doses arrived on Friday, three days earlier than feared, meaning appointments do not have to be canceled, according to Charlie Baker’s government.
“The administration appreciates the efforts made to get this critical consignment here and does not expect the federal government to provide additional vaccine delays at this time,” Command Center spokeswoman Kate Reilly said Friday.
State and local leaders on Saturday hosted a roundtable discussion to discuss racial differences in the distribution of vaccines in Massachusetts. Legislators say that communities that are under service need all the resources they can get.
Baker suggested earlier this week that the national guard be sent south to fetch the delayed vaccines.
The state’s enrollment website for vaccination also collapsed on Thursday shortly after it opened to people 65 and older. Appointment slots for that age group fill up quickly.