Kim Janey announces vaccination clinics for kids, warns about ‘worse’ flu season

Now that kids ages 5 to 11 are eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19, Acting Mayor Kim Janey is opening a series of clinics to aid in that effort.

“We have done a lot of important work to slow the spread,” Janey said, adding that the city was well below target “metrics of concern,” adding the city need to “do everything to get folks vaccinated.”

The family vaccination clinics will offer first and second vaccine doses as well as boosters for all who are eligible, including offering the lower-dose Pfizer vaccine that was just approved for children ages 5 to 11.

The clinics, listed at bostonpublicschools.org/vaccines, will be held in Mattapan, Dorchester, Hyde Park and Roslindale, “neighborhoods where we’ve seen some of the lowest COVID vaccination rates,” Janey said. No appointments, IDs or insurance will be required for these clinics. They’ll be held at the following locations at the same time every week through the end of the year:

• Tuesdays, 8:30 to 11:45 a.m.: Brookside Community Health Center, 3297 Washington St., Jamaica Plain
• Tuesdays, 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.: Egleston YMCA, 3134 Washington St., Roxbury
• Fridays, 8:30 to 11:45 a.m. (except 11/26): Immigrant Family Services Institute, 1626 Blue Hill Ave., Mattapan
• Fridays, 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., (11/12, 11/19, 12/3, 12/10, 12/17): Sportsmen’s Tennis & Enrichment Center, 950 Blue Hill Ave., Dorchester

The clinics will be provided by Brookside Community Health Center, Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Mass General Brigham.

Boston Public Schools will also be hosting an “Ask a Doctor” Q&A session on November 15 at 6:30 p.m. to answer families’ questions about the vaccine. Janey added that children and adults can also get vaccinated at local retail pharmacies, doctor’s offices, hospitals and community health centers.

She announced that she’s investing an additional $500,000 for vaccine outreach in communities of color, and touted the vaccination rates among those groups: a 36% increase in full vaccination rates for Latino Bostonians and a 29% increase for Black Bostonians since mid-April, when vaccines became more widely available. Over 73% of Bostonians have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose.

Massachusetts is the fifth-most vaccinated state in the country, at 69.87%. Its New England neighbors slightly edge out the state, with Vermont being the most vaccinated state at 71.46%.

In her remaining week and a half as mayor before Michelle Wu is sworn in, Janey said she will not be making changes to the current mask mandate in effect for public spaces in Boston.

Janey also reminded residents, and especially seniors, to get their flu vaccines this year as flu season arrives.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3k6JWfK