Massachusetts enters Phase 2 of vaccination plan, here’s what you need to know

Massachusetts launches into Phase 2 of coronavirus vaccination on Monday, qualifying 170,000 residents age 75 and older to get a shot.

The senior population will kick off Phase 2 and residents who qualify by being 75 years or older can find a location to book an appointment on the state’s website, which now includes the option to enter a zip code and find a nearby vaccination site. The state added the feature on Sunday to help people secure a coveted appointment amid confusion in the early goings.

Every Thursday, the state will list thousands of new appointments at the large-scale, mass vaccination sites for the following week on the appointment dashboard. Two new mass vaccination sites will also be open on Monday, at Fenway Park and the Reggie Lewis Center at Roxbury Community College.

Fenway Park is scheduled to vaccinate 500 people a day this week, ramping up to 1,250 immunizations daily the following week, as previously reported in the Herald.

Vaccine rollout in Massachusetts hasn’t been without problems. Appointments have booked up as quickly as they’ve become available and the online registration has been plagued with technical glitches and confusion.

Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, appearing on “Jon Keller at Large” on Sunday said, “Trying to make sure that we centralize the process, make it easier to understand and digest, is a very significant thing because one of the things that’s been concerning to us is the number of vaccines that have not gone out.”

According to a Bloomberg vaccine tracker, Massachusetts is second to last in the nation when it comes to vaccine supply that’s been used, at just over 51%. By comparison, the top state, North Dakota, has used 89% of its supply.

Tarr said residents should see improvement slowly but surely in the coming days. The state has been getting about 86,000 doses a week which is expected to rise to upwards of 101,000 doses a week, he said.

“We’ve got to make it easier on the front end and we’ve got to make sure we get more vaccine,” said Tarr.

Phase 2 is expected to expand in March when the second step of the rollout will include people 65 and older, and those with two or more medical conditions and residents and staff of low-income and affordable senior housing.

Dr. Michael Gustafson, president of UMass Memorial Medical Center, said the state does not plan to wait until the entire 75 and older population is vaccinated before moving onto the next step.

Those eligible for vaccination later in Phase 2 will be certain workers including teachers, meatpackers, foodservice employees, grocery workers, Uber drivers and many others.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3rblprc