EAST BRIDGEWATER — The East Bridgewater Board of Health would like to share the latest information regarding the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine in town and throughout the region.
On Wednesday, Feb. 17, the town was informed by Gov. Charlie Baker that effective the week of March 1, the State will no longer be providing first dose vaccines for most individual municipal clinics, East Bridgewater included. As such, East Bridgewater will not be able to schedule additional first-dose vaccination clinics.
As the Commonwealth moves forward and as many more residents become eligible to receive the vaccine, the State will be streamlining the vaccine distribution process and will be placing an emphasis on mass vaccination sites and regionalized clinics. There is also a growing number of pharmacies and other retail locations administering vaccines. The State’s Vaccine Finder website allows residents to search for vaccine sites and schedule appointments.
Any homebound residents who are unable to leave their homes for appointments are asked to call the Town’s new COVID-19 vaccine hotline at 508-378-1610 and leave their name, home address, phone number and email address.
“While we respect the State’s decision to cease vaccine shipments to municipal clinics and instead prioritize regional and mass vaccination sites, we are disappointed that we will no longer have the ability to offer our residents vaccines in town,” said Susan Mulloy of the East Bridgewater Board of Health. “With that said, we remain committed to assisting our residents in whatever capacity we can regarding the vaccination process. We will continue to provide regular updates to our residents regarding COVID-19 vaccines.”
East Bridgewater officials will continue to advocate for community members, and will pursue options to form partnerships with neighboring communities to develop a regional clinic that is local to the Town of East Bridgewater.
New Group Eligible
The Baker-Polito Administration also announced yesterday that as part of the latest step in Phase 2 of the State’s vaccine rollout plan, individuals aged 65 and over, those with two or more certain medical conditions, and those who live or work in low-income and affordable senior housing will be eligible to book an appointment to receive the vaccine beginning today.
Included in this group are individuals 16 and older with two or more certain medical conditions, which include:
- Asthma (moderate-to-severe)
- Cancer
- Chronic kidney disease
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Down Syndrome
- Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
- Obesity and severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 kg/m2 or higher)
- Pregnancy
- Sickle cell disease
- Smoking
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus
The State stressed that due to extremely high demand for appointments and limited vaccine supply, it could take more than a month for all eligible individuals to secure an appointment.
Resources
Details for booking an appointment through the State’s COVID-19 Vaccine Finder can be found here. To learn more about certain medical conditions and who may be eligible to receive the vaccine, click here.
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