BOSTON — The state is now rolling out a much quicker and widespread vaccination plan. The vaccinations so far have been in small settings in hospitals and long-term facilities. Now we will start seeing vaccination centers going up.
The first group to do it this way will be the state’s first responders. First responders will be able to get their shots in three different ways.
First responders can apply to vaccinate themselves as a group if they meet certain criteria, including doing 200 at a time. Sixty locations will be going online where first responders can book an appointment, or they will be able to go to mass locations being set up regionally. Union leaders for firefighters said Gillette Stadium and Fenway Park are two of the five locations being finalized.
Health & Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders explained more about the plan.
“Once operational, we expect these sites will have the capacity to administer 2000 vaccines per day,” Sudders said.
We know the state has received nearly 300,000 vaccine doses as of late last week. So far more than 116,000 people have been given their first dose.
Boston 25 learned last week that a Burlington hospital scrambled to vaccinate a few hundred employees last minute after another health care company could not use their Pfizer doses before they would have expired after being thawed.
“Health care and others have been collaborating with one another to ensure the utilization of the vaccine within the time period, so they are not wasted,” Sudders said.
Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker said they have no reports of any of the doses not being used in time.
“At this point in time there is enough demand for dosing at the provider level that I don’t think we are going to run into situations where people are not able to find places and spaces to distribute the vaccine,” Gov. Baker said.
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