Vaccine clinic set to open in hard-hit Chelsea

CHELSEA, Mass. — A new vaccine clinic is set to open in Chelsea Thursday morning.

According to the latest state data, in the past two weeks, Chelsea has had an average daily incidence rate of 116.1 COVID-19 cases per day – one of the highest rates in the state.

The first vaccines are set to be given out at the nonprofit La Colaborativa, formerly the Chelsea Collaborative, Thursday morning.

All adults 75 years and older are eligible to get vaccinated. To register, people can call 617-568-4870. Walk-ins are not allowed.

According to the city’s website, transportation is available for people who need help getting to the clinic.

An organizer of the vaccine effort said 200 people are set to be vaccinated there Thursday. Organizers hope to increase to 500 daily vaccines in the weeks to come.

The majority of Chelsea residents are people of color and part of demographics that have been vastly under-vaccinated compared to their white counterparts.

According to the latest state data, more than a third of people vaccinated in Massachusetts so far are white, while 3.3% are Hispanic and just 2.6% are Black.

Health leaders hope that opening vaccine clinics in hard-hit communities like Chelsea will help make vaccines more accessible to these underserved populations.

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