Massachusetts is expected to see another modest increase in vaccine supply for the coming week, including thousands of unexpected doses of the Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine.
Governor Charlie Baker’s administration said Monday night that Massachusetts is receiving 170,000 first doses of the COVID-19 vaccines this week, after receiving 155,000 last week from the federal government.
The next shipment includes 8,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which officials say was a surprise after they were previously told to expect a break in deliveries until the end of March, after the state’s initial shipment, as the company grows the production.
The rest of the shipment for the next week consists of doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
The authorities noted that the increase in allocation does not include doses sent through federal programs, such as the federal government’s vaccine partnership with retail pharmacies, which in Massachusetts received 95,000 first and second doses last week.
Massachusetts saw its weekly supply of first doses slowly increase in the past few weeks, after President Joe Biden’s government increased the state’s remittance to about 100,000 first doses in the first week of January. However, the authorities emphasized that the demand for vaccines continues to exceed the available supply – and the available consultations were quickly scheduled.
The relatively small increase comes when authorities in neighboring Connecticut announced plans on Monday to accelerate its rollout for all residents over 16 on April 5, after authorities said the Biden administration told them to expect a raise. “significant” in doses over the next several weeks by Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.
Although Massachusetts accelerated the pace of its general rollout, Baker did not suggest any similar plans.
The state website, however, still says that Phase 3 of the vaccine launch – when eligibility expands to the general public – will begin sometime in April. Currently, residents over the age of 65, individuals with qualified health conditions and employees of elementary and high schools and day care centers are eligible to receive vaccines in Massachusetts, in addition to other specific groups previously prioritized in the state’s three phase distribution.
On Monday night, the state administered at least one dose to more than 1,681,000 residents. The authorities hope to reach at least 4.1 million of the state’s 6.9 million residents.
Baker said Massachusetts has the capacity to vaccinate residents two or three times the current rate if supply increases. However, he has expressed increasing frustration with manufacturers not meeting previous delivery targets, although companies say they are on track to meet the goals of significantly increasing production this semester.
“If we get to that point, and I really hope we do, the ability to act very quickly to vaccinate large portions of the remaining population in Massachusetts is extremely high,” said Baker last week.
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