More than 35,600 people in Massachusetts received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to new data released on Thursday in the state’s first COVID-19 vaccination report.
In total, 35,618 people received their first doses between December 15 and 22, with about 44 percent of the doses going to people aged 30 to 49. Another 37 percent were for people aged 50 to 69, and 17 percent were for people aged 20 to 29 years. Only about 2 percent of doses were for people aged 70 and over.
Massachusetts health officials announced earlier this month that health professionals who are at high risk for exposure to coronavirus and residents and staff members at long-term care facilities would be first in line for the vaccine. The next doses should go to police, firefighters and emergency teams, home health professionals and then health professionals who are doing “care not related to COVID”, according to the state’s presentation.
On Tuesday, 74% of vaccinated people work in hospitals and 23% work in employee health care, which includes occupational health services. Less than 1,000 doses of vaccine went to people who were not in the hospital or employed by health workers.
Fifty-five percent of people who have been vaccinated are white and 15% are multiracial, according to state data. Four percent of those who have been vaccinated are Asian, 4% are Hispanic and 3% are black.
Thursday’s panel includes data from December 15 to December 22. Over those eight days, the highest number of vaccine doses were administered on Friday, December 18, when 8,789 people received their first doses.
The state’s coronavirus vaccine panel, which will be published every Thursday at 5 pm, also includes the number of doses of the vaccine that were sent to Massachusetts providers and the number of doses sent to each county in the state.
Overall, 146,675 doses of vaccine were sent to Massachusetts – 87,200 from Moderna and 59,475 from Pfizer. Of all Massachusetts counties, Suffolk County has received the highest number of doses to date: 50,075.
Middlesex County received 28,850 doses and Worcester County received 15,975 doses.
Felicia Gans can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on twitter @FeliciaGans.