Every Massachusetts resident 16 or older — an estimated 1.7 million people — are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations Monday as the third and final phase of the state’s vaccination plan goes into effect.“It’s relief for the people around you and it’s also relief for everyone in my house,” said Christine Giglio, who booked appointments for both her husband and her 16-year-old daughter.Jessy Han was able to land an appointment in New Hampshire, where vaccines have been made available to anyone 16 or older regardless of residency. “It’s in a few weeks, but it’s better than nothing,” he said.After unsuccessfully searching for an hour on the CVS and Massachusetts state website, Hahn snagged an appointment up in New Hampshire in about 5 minutes.“A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I can’t wait to hang out with my family and my friends,” he said. Elected and public health officials are asking everyone to be patient and be prepared to potentially waits weeks until it’s your turn.“You just have to be willing to keep trying, you know? You got to be persistent, you got to be persistent because they open up. There’s kind of no rhyme or reason sometimes,” Giglio said. The state of Massachusetts reached a major vaccine milestone on Saturday, as more than 2 million people became fully vaccinated against COVID-19.On Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more than half of all adults in the United States have received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.Gov. Charlie Baker says the timeline meets the state’s goal and the national goal set by President Joe Biden. However, the governor is warning that newly eligible residents may face a wait of several weeks before they can find an appointment.”I have tremendous confidence in the commonwealth’s approach to vaccination,” said Dr. Kimi Kobayashi, chief quality officer at UMass Memorial Medical Center. “Certainly, I’ve heard from patients that they’ve had a very good experience. I have family members who have had great experiences at the mass vaccination sites in the commonwealth, so I do think they will be able to accommodate it.”I do think that, initially at least, there is probably going to be a huge demand and there may some waiting that needs to occur, but I’m confident that we’ll be able to get through the number of people that need to be vaccinated,” Kobayashi added.Several people tell NewsCenter 5 that they received a notification from the state which states that they could book their COVID-19 vaccination appointment before the start of the final phase on Monday.NewsCenter 5 contacted Baker’s office and state officials about how the notifications could have gone out early, but have not heard back.Last Wednesday, Baker said the number of Pfizer and Moderna shots being shipped to Massachusetts is expected to increase by 8% this week.Dr. Anthony Fauci, meanwhile, says that the U.S. will likely move to resume Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine this coming week after being put on hold last Tuesday. According to Fauci, there possibly could be restrictions or broader warnings after reports of some very rare blood clot cases.Massachusetts vaccination progress
Every Massachusetts resident 16 or older — an estimated 1.7 million people — are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations Monday as the third and final phase of the state’s vaccination plan goes into effect.
“It’s relief for the people around you and it’s also relief for everyone in my house,” said Christine Giglio, who booked appointments for both her husband and her 16-year-old daughter.
Jessy Han was able to land an appointment in New Hampshire, where vaccines have been made available to anyone 16 or older regardless of residency.
“It’s in a few weeks, but it’s better than nothing,” he said.
After unsuccessfully searching for an hour on the CVS and Massachusetts state website, Hahn snagged an appointment up in New Hampshire in about 5 minutes.
“A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I can’t wait to hang out with my family and my friends,” he said.
Elected and public health officials are asking everyone to be patient and be prepared to potentially waits weeks until it’s your turn.
“You just have to be willing to keep trying, you know? You got to be persistent, you got to be persistent because they open up. There’s kind of no rhyme or reason sometimes,” Giglio said.
The state of Massachusetts reached a major vaccine milestone on Saturday, as more than 2 million people became fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
On Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more than half of all adults in the United States have received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Gov. Charlie Baker says the timeline meets the state’s goal and the national goal set by President Joe Biden. However, the governor is warning that newly eligible residents may face a wait of several weeks before they can find an appointment.
“I have tremendous confidence in the commonwealth’s approach to vaccination,” said Dr. Kimi Kobayashi, chief quality officer at UMass Memorial Medical Center. “Certainly, I’ve heard from patients that they’ve had a very good experience. I have family members who have had great experiences at the mass vaccination sites in the commonwealth, so I do think they will be able to accommodate it.
“I do think that, initially at least, there is probably going to be a huge demand and there may some waiting that needs to occur, but I’m confident that we’ll be able to get through the number of people that need to be vaccinated,” Kobayashi added.
Several people tell NewsCenter 5 that they received a notification from the state which states that they could book their COVID-19 vaccination appointment before the start of the final phase on Monday.
NewsCenter 5 contacted Baker’s office and state officials about how the notifications could have gone out early, but have not heard back.
Last Wednesday, Baker said the number of Pfizer and Moderna shots being shipped to Massachusetts is expected to increase by 8% this week.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, meanwhile, says that the U.S. will likely move to resume Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine this coming week after being put on hold last Tuesday. According to Fauci, there possibly could be restrictions or broader warnings after reports of some very rare blood clot cases.