As health officials in Massachusetts are inciting COVID-19 vaccination efforts, a relatively low number of first-vaccination appointments will be available Thursday.
A COVID-19 Command Center spokesman said about 12,000 new first appointments would be available Thursday morning at the state’s seven large-scale vaccination sites.
Civil servants said the number of available new appointments is low due to the amount of second-dose appointments and the limited supply from the federal government.
“As more individuals have received a first dose of vaccine across the Commonwealth, there is a greater need to discuss second appointments, so that the mass vaccination sites have fewer first dose appointments available each week,” the command center said in a statement.
On Thursday at 7 a.m. – about an hour and a half before appointments would be available on large-scale sites – state health officials said the first dose of appointments would no longer be available at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough or Boston’s two sites – Fenway Park and the Reggie Lewis Center.
Remaining large-scale vaccination sites include: Doubletree Hotel in Danvers, former Circuit City in Dartmouth, the Natick Mall and the Eastfield Mall in Springfield.
Vaccinations for teachers
This announcement comes the same day the COVID vaccination timeline was moved from the state.
Educators in Massachusetts could begin reporting next week for the vaccination of COVID-19 vaccinations, Governor Charlie Baker announced Wednesday, a day after President Joe Biden said he commands all states to prioritize teachers for vaccinations.
As of Thursday, March 11, K-12 educators, child care staff, and K-12 school staff in Massachusetts are eligible to receive the COVID vaccine.
There are about 400,000 K-12 educators, child care workers and K-12 school staff in Massachusetts, officials said. The state estimates that it will take a month before all individuals are eligible for a first appointment based on the current vaccine supply. Given the planning requirements of educators, government officials will work to indicate specific days at the seven mass vaccination sites for educators to get their shots fired.
The march towards teacher vaccination comes as government officials try to return to personal learning for K-12 students.
Where else can I get the vaccine?
While only 12,000 first-dose appointments go online Thursday morning at the state’s seven large-scale vaccination sites, 170 sites are currently open.
More than a dozen CVS locations in Massachusetts offer the COVID vaccine, with new appointments posted daily on the company’s website.
Participating CVS pharmacies are located in: Boston, Braintree, Cambridge, Chelsea, East Falmouth, Fall River, Holyoke, Hudson, Ipswich, Lynn, Malden, Medfield, Methuen, Milford, New Bedford, North Easton, North Grafton, Palmer, Peabody , Randolph, Seekonk, Springfield, Sturbridge, Watertown, Weymouth and Worcester.
Appointments can be made directly via the pharmacy’s website.
Massachusetts CVS sites are part of an initial vaccination of vaccines in 11 states: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.
Eventually, vaccines will be available at pharmacies across the country, and the company estimates its vaccination capacity at 20 to 25 million shots per month.
There are still thousands of appointments available at other pharmacies, including:
- Walgreens: About 1,000 appointments are released daily.
- Big Y, Price Chopper, Wegmans
- Stop & Shop, Hannaford
Government officials estimate that more than 250,000 doses will be administered on all vaccination sites this week, considering first-dose and second-dose appointments.
How Many Massachusetts Residents Are Vaccinated?
Massachusetts reached a milestone last month. The Department of Public Health announced on February 20 that 1,000,734 Massachusetts residents had received at least their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
As of Wednesday, the number has increased to 1,281,680.
While more than a million have received their first doses, hundreds of thousands still need their second doses. Government officials say just over half a million received both their first and second doses, which nearly 700,000 needed their second dose.
According to the latest census estimates, the Commonwealth has 6,892,503 residents.
Won’t the Johnson & Johnson vaccine help?
Yes, but it will take time.
Massachusetts receives only one shipment of 58,000 doses for the month of March. More orders for the one-shot vaccine just approved by federal officials are expected to be available by next month.
Who is eligible to receive the vaccine?
Massachusetts began phase 2 of the vaccination last month.
Residents 65 years and older and individuals with two or more medical conditions who consider the risk of serious illness due to the virus, and residents and staff with low incomes and affordable senior housing, may receive the vaccine.
Preferred medical conditions include:
- Asthma (moderate to severe)
- Cancer
- Chronic kidney disease
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Down syndrome
- Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathy
- Immuno-compromised state (weakened immune system) due to solid organ transplantation
- Obesity and severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 kg / m2 or higher)
- Pregnancy
- Sickle cell disease
- Smoke
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus
When educators are eligible next week, it will increase the number of eligible residents by about 400,000.
The groups that educators follow on the priority rankings include:
- Employees in the food, beverage, agriculture, consumer goods, retail and food services sectors;
- Meat packers;
- Sanitation, public works and public health workers;
- Vaccine development workers;
- Food cabinets workers and volunteers;
- Transport / transportation: Uber / Lyft / rides / pharmacy delivery drivers, passengers in the passenger industry (eg paratransit for people with disabilities, food delivery, non-urgent medical transport), persons other than police;
- Convenience store workers (among grocery workers);
- Water and wastewater personnel
- Court system workers (judges, prosecutors, lawyers, clerks), other than court officials listed among first responders
- Medical supply chain workers
- Workers at manufacturers (including biotechnology companies and the companies that moved production to medical supplies), suppliers of materials and spare parts, technicians, logistics and warehousing companies, printers, packers, distributors of medical products and equipment (including third-party logistics suppliers, and those testing and repairing), personal protective equipment (PBT), insulation barriers, medical gases, pharmaceuticals (including materials used in radioactive materials), nutritional supplements, commercial health products, blood and blood products, vaccines, test materials, laboratory supplies, cleaning, disinfectants, disinfectants or sterilization supplies (dispensers included), sanitary ware, personal care products, pest control products, and tissue and paper towel products.
- Funeral directors and funeral workers
- Shipping ports and terminal workers