Massachusetts continues its race against the clock this week, working to get doses of Vaccines for covid-19 into the arms of residents as quickly as possible, as the number of coronavirus and increase in virus variants.
With the launch of the vaccine advancing, state officials have provided frequent updates on the protection effort against COVID-19. Below, what you should know about this week’s Massachusetts vaccination campaign.
Two new groups of Massachusetts residents could start taking pictures Monday, April 5th, as the state moves forward with the implementation of vaccination. Residents aged 55 and over are on the line, along with individuals aged 16 and over with one of the state-determined medical conditions. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their list of health conditions associated with a high risk of severe COVID-19 to include a range of new health problems, including cystic fibrosis, dementia, type 1 diabetes, HIV , hypertension and substance use disorder.
After Governor Charlie Baker initially refused to say whether Bay Staters could expect a similar change, the state announced on Friday that it would adopt the CDC’s list of conditions. With the update, employees say over 1 million additional residents will become eligible for vaccines starting on Monday.
The revised list of eligible state conditions is:
- Cancer
- Chronic kidney disease
- Chronic lung diseases, including COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), asthma (moderate to severe), interstitial lung disease, cystic fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension
- Dementia or other neurological conditions
- Diabetes (type 1 or type 2)
- Down’s syndrome
- Cardiac conditions (such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathies or hypertension)
- HIV infection
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system)
- Liver disease
- Overweight and obesity
- Pregnancy
- Sickle cell disease or thalassemia
- Smoking, current or previous
- Transplantation of solid organ or blood stem cells
- Stroke or cerebrovascular disease, which affects blood flow to the brain
- Substance use disorders
The governor continues to defend his government’s timeline to open up eligibility for the vaccine, as neighboring states have earlier plans or have already begun allowing residents up to 16 years old to apply for vaccines. Bay Staters under the age of 55 who do not meet any of the other eligibility criteria does not become eligible for nominations until April 19th.
The governor said last week that allowing eligibility to expand in two-week increments gives priority groups time to find open commitments, while vaccine supply remains limited.
“Eligibility is one thing,” said Baker. “Actually running on the spot and getting large portions of the populations that are eligible for vaccination is another.”
The state expects more than 100,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson’s unique vaccine this week, in what Baker described as the company’s “first really significant shipments”.
despite mix of national manufacture which has ruined 15 million doses, state officials expect the shipment to arrive as planned. But it is less clear how the shipments in the coming weeks can be affected.
About half of the 100,000 doses will be shipped this week directly to CVS and Walgreens locations through the federal government partnership with retail pharmacies to administer vaccines. The other half of the consignment, destined for the Baker government, will be distributed among the regional vaccination cooperatives of the state, community health centers, the new home vaccination programand home clinics for low-income seniors.
The Baker government announced last week that, through its partnership with FEMA, that designated the Hynes Convention Center a federal mass vaccination site, a mobile vaccination effort is being launched in Chelsea, Revere, Boston, Fall River and Brockton. According to the state, FEMA is supporting the daily administration of 6,000 doses of vaccines for eight weeks in a “hub and spoke” model where vaccines from the central hub – Hynes Convention Center – will be distributed to nearby communities via mobile units vaccination and pop-up clinics.
The mobile vaccination effort will begin this week and will increase over time in the five communities, increasing to 500 vaccines available each day in each community, according to the state. Most of the mobile units and clinics will be installed in municipal parks, parking lots and other community locations.
Good news arrived last week for Americans who had their opportunity (s). The Center for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance on Friday to say that fully vaccinated individuals can travel within the United States without being tested for coronavirus or being quarantined later. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after the second dose of the double vaccines and two weeks after receiving the Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine.
Previously, the federal agency warned against unnecessary travel, even for those who were fully vaccinated. Individuals who have not been vaccinated are still encouraged to avoid unnecessary travel.
Pfizer announced last week that the COVID-19 vaccine it has developed is safe and strongly protective in children 12 years old and up, a promising step to potentially offer vaccines for the age group before the start of a new school year in the fall, the Associated Press reports. Currently, the company’s vaccine is authorized for people over 16 years of age.
Experts say vaccinating children of all ages will be instrumental in ending the pandemic and helping schools, especially in the upper grades, to return to normal functioning after students have experienced more than a year of interruptions.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last week that the two vaccines available since December – Pfizer and Moderna – were highly effective (90 percent) after two doses in protecting against COVID-19 in real-world settings. The CDC study also found that the first dose of the vaccines was 80 percent effective in preventing infection, starting two weeks after the injection was given.
The Biden administration is working with private companies to develop a standard form of handing over credentials, known as “vaccine passports”, which would allow Americans to prove that they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 when businesses and travel reopen. The Washington Post reports. Passports are expected to be free and made available via smartphone apps that display a scannable code, but American officials have told the newspaper that they are struggling with a number of challenges, including data privacy and equal health care.
The state of Massachusetts’ vaccination implementation
The number of people who have been fully vaccinated (from sunday): 1,478,520
According to The New York Times vaccine implantation tracker, Massachusetts continues to rank in the upper half of the states based on the percentage of residents who are fully vaccinated (21 percent). The state of Bahia is also in the top 10 based on the percentage of the state’s population that received at least one dose of the double vaccines (37%). See how Massachusetts compares to other U.S. states and territories here.
General vaccination information COVID-19 to know
Here is who is currently qualified to schedule appointments:
Phase 1
Listed in order of priority:
Level 2
Listed in order of priority:
Here’s who will be the next eligible:
Phase 3
- General public (eligible 04/19/2021)
Here’s how to make an appointment:
Pre-register for a consultation at one of the state’s mass vaccination sites, visit: mass.gov/covid-19-vaccine
After you sign up for pre-registration, you will receive weekly status updates from the state. When an appointment is available, you will be contacted and will have 24 hours to accept and make the appointment. If the appointment is not selected within 24 hours, you will be added back to the state waiting list.
Search and book a vaccination schedule at one of the other 170 public vaccination posts through the state’s VaxFinder: https://vaxfinder.mass.gov/
Or visit: mass.gov/covidvaccine
Those who are 75 or older can connect with the state vaccine hotline operator dialing 2-1-1 from Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 5 pm (press 2 for the call center).
A map and a list of the COVID-19 vaccination sites in Massachusetts:
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