Vaccination sites expanded, older adults moved up in line
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts plans to have 165 vaccination sites available by mid-February and has moved older adults ahead in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday that people age 75 and older will now be in the first priority group in Phase Two of the distribution plan, which starts Feb. 1. Those 65 and older and individuals with two or more comorbidities will now be in the second priority group, in keeping with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The administration said the state currently has the capacity to administer 242,000 doses of vaccine per week, more than the 173,000 first and second doses it expects to receive from the federal government this week.
“We’re setting up the capacity to administer far more doses than we are currently receiving or projecting to receive from the feds,” the Republican said at an afternoon press conference. “We think it’s better to overplan at this point in the process and hope that the feds can get there.”
New mass vaccination sites also are opening in Springfield on Jan. 29, Danvers on Feb. 3, and Boston in the first week of February.
Baker also defended the state’s vaccine distribution plan and the decision to focus first on what he described as “hard to reach” populations.
“Many of these populations were not only hard to reach, they were vulnerable,” Baker said. “I get the fact that by choosing a number of very targeted communities and populations that we felt we should start with, that would create a slower rollout and a slower ramp up than you would see where you just took big groups by age and said ‘go.’ But I do believe that at the end of the day we made the right decision.”
The state is keeping a close eye on the shots it has already distributed and is prepared to redistribute those if they are not used quickly, Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders said Monday.
“Last week we made it crystal clear that providers have 10 days from the receipt of the vaccine to administration. All hospitals were contacted last week to review their existing inventory,” Sudders said. “This week hospitals did not receive additional vaccine inventory. They need to utilize what they have on hand. And if we must, we will redistribute these fragile vaccines to other providers.”
The state’s ratio of doses distributed to doses administered will improve, she said.
Also Monday, the state relaxed some coronavirus restrictions.
Restaurants, movie theaters and many other businesses will now be allowed to remain open past 9:30 p.m. Also, a rule that required people to stay at home from 10 p.m. until 5 p.m. except for work or other essential travel has been lifted.
Some safety measures remain in place, including a 25% capacity limit for many businesses, including restaurants and casinos.
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VIRUS BY THE NUMBERS
The number of newly confirmed coronavirus deaths rose by 45 on Monday while the number of newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 increased by nearly 3,500.
The new deaths pushed the state’s confirmed COVID-19 death toll to 13,889 and its confirmed caseload since the start of the pandemic to more than 479,000.
The true number of cases is likely higher because studies suggest some people can be infected and not feel sick.
There were more than 1,900 people reported hospitalized Monday because of confirmed cases of COVID-19, with about 420 in intensive care units.
The average age of those hospitalized was 71. There were an estimated more than 92,000 current active cases of COVID-19 in the state.
The number of probable or confirmed COVID-19 deaths reported in long-term care facilities rose to 7,932.
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FENWAY PARK VACCINE APPOINTMENTS
Massachusetts residents currently eligible for a coronavirus vaccine can schedule an appointment to receive their inoculation at Fenway Park starting Tuesday.
Massachusetts last week designated the home of the Boston Red Sox as its next large-scale COVID-19 vaccination site following Gillette Stadium.
Starting Feb. 1, the ballpark will begin administering 500 vaccines per day, eventually ramping up to 1,000 vaccines per day to eligible residents in Phase One priority groups under the state’s vaccination plan, state officials said.
CIC Health will operate the site, with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center as the medical director.
The site is expected to stay open through the beginning of baseball season in early April.
Appointments can be made at www.cic-health.com/vaccines.
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CHILD CARE TESTING
The state is launching a new pilot COVID-19 testing program aimed at providing on-demand testing to child care providers and the families they serve to ensure easy access to testing when there is suspected COVID-19 exposure, officials said Monday.
The Department of Early Education and Care will partner with private and philanthropic funders to launch the eight rotating drive-through testing sites. The sites will be open only to child care providers and individuals affiliated with programs, state officials said Monday.
The department is also dedicating $8 million in state and federal funds to buy personal protective equipment to distribute to child care providers at no cost. Providers will be able to order up to a one-month supply of the protective equipment, including masks for children and adults, gloves, hand sanitizer, and other supplies.
One goal of the initiative is to prevent sudden temporary closures of child care programs due to virus exposure.