Jack O’Connor, 75, a retired health marketer from West Roxbury, observed the unbalanced demographics while waiting for the mandatory 15 minutes after his first dose.
“I would say that there were 40 people there when I was there. Perhaps five ”were black, said O’Connor.
The clinic at the Lewis center at Roxbury Community College was scheduled to start injections on Monday – the first day residents 75 and older were eligible for Phase 2 doses of the state’s vaccination schedule – but those plans were rejected before the snowstorm. The Boston Public Health Commission is running the site with a team of 40 people until the state takes over at the end of the month. The commission is scheduling 1,100 appointments a week – about 220 a day, including Tuesday.
According to the state’s website, the Massachusetts vaccination program is aimed at people who live, work or study in the state.
The vaccination clinic is open to all eligible populations across the state, but Marty Martinez, Boston’s head of health and human services, said the city “absolutely” had racial equality in mind when it selected the center as the injection site in large scale.
“It’s at the heart of the city’s COVID response, since we’ve been dealing with it,” he said. “We wanted a website in a community of color.”
Still, Martinez was not surprised to learn that most of the people who were vaccinated at the site on Tuesday were white.
“There is no doubt that now the vast majority of people being vaccinated across the state are white,” he added. “This is still true – although this location is in Roxbury.”
The succession of white faces entering and leaving the center reflects state data that shows that white people are being vaccinated at a much higher rate than black, Latino and Asian residents. On January 26, 43 percent of people who were fully vaccinated are white, according to the state Department of Public Health. Meanwhile, just under 4% of those receiving the two doses are Asian, more than 3% are Latino and less than 3% are black.
(State vaccination data on race and ethnicity is incomplete as a result of inconsistent reports from vaccinators, which is why these numbers do not add up to 100 percent. For 28 percent of fully vaccinated recipients, their race and ethnicity is labeled “other” Or “unknown”, while about 20 percent are classified as “multiracial.”)
To counter the trend, the city has reserved about 15 percent of its appointments for people who register for a vaccine through community organizations, such as the Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition and the Greater Boston Latino Network.
Qualified seniors can also call 311, the city’s helpline. They will be transferred to someone from the Age Strong Commission, who will make the appointment over the phone. As for walk-ins, Martinez said: “We have to send them away. . . . We do not have extra doses on site. “
All publicly available appointments at the Lewis center were snapped up two hours after they were made available, and places reserved for community organizations are also filling up, according to Martinez. The center is full for the rest of the week and will begin receiving appointments for the next week on Thursday morning.
Caitlin McLaughlin, a spokesman for the commission, said city health officials have been trying to publicize the Lewis center through social media, traditional media and community partners such as churches and local health centers.
In the meantime, the city plans smaller vaccination sites in several neighborhoods, Martinez said, but when and where those sites will be opened will depend on the availability of doses from the state. When Massachusetts moves into the third part of Phase 2 of its vaccination plan, when essential workers become eligible, said Martinez, “several of these clinics” will open.
The Massachusetts launch was criticized for the slow pace of vaccinations. Activists also raised concerns about access to vaccines in the most affected black communities. Last week, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley sent a letter to Governor Charlie Baker urging him to prioritize black and Latino residents in vaccines.
“I am writing to beg you to act urgently and put the health and safety of our black and brown communities at the center of the Commonwealth COVID-19 response and ongoing vaccination plans,” the letter said.
Harvey Wartosky, a financial planner, and his wife, Joëlle, both 78 and white, live in Beacon Hill. They arrived early for vaccinations at the Lewis center with manila envelopes in their hands, containing copies of their Medicare cards and printed out confirming their appointments.
Making an appointment online was “a complete nightmare,” said Wartosky. One of the young employees at his company was able to find open hours for him and his wife at the Lewis center just before all vacancies were filled. The state’s prioritization process also horrified Wartosky, who saw friends in other states get vaccinated while he and other Massachusetts seniors waited their turn. other groups, such as inmates.
“I wrote a letter to the governor,” said Wartosky. “I found it incomprehensible that [a prisoner] which is costing me $ 25,000 a year and taking it out of society would take priority over me, who is a contributor to society. “
Just over an hour later, the Wartoskys were out of the house with round stickers on their chest, proudly announcing their ranking among the vaccinated, the most exclusive new club in the country.
Deanna Pan can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on twitter @DDpan. Felice J. Freyer can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow her on twitter @felicejfreyer.