AP
March 16, 2021 | 10:14
BOSTON (AP) – About 30% of Massachusetts state police employees have not yet received a COVID-19 vaccine, although the department has reportedly offered shots in its own clinics.
As of Friday, 2,002 of 2,847 eligible State Police employees, including civilians, had received at least one dose at one of the departmental clinics in Framingham, Plymouth or Chicopee, according to data released in response to a Boston Globe request.
Some who have not yet been vaccinated at a clinic may have received a vaccine elsewhere or taken it off due to medical conditions, although the exact numbers are unclear, department spokesman David Procopio said.
The union, which represents troops and sergeants, said it had not taken a position on vaccines.
The only guidance the union gave its 1,900 members was to consult their personal physicians, said Nancy Sterling, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts State Police Association.
It is unclear whether the vaccine is hesitant.
“We do not know if there is any hesitation. There can definitely be. That is not something we are asking about, ”Sterling said.
Dr. David Hamer, an infectious disease expert at the University of Boston, said the vaccination of state troops is important because of their close encounters with the public.
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