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'Access Is Everything' As Massachusetts Pivots Its COVID-19 Vaccine Strategy

A regional vaccination site opened on April 20, 2021, at The Big E grounds in West Springfield, Massachusetts.
Don Treeger
/
The Republican / masslive.com
A regional vaccination site opened on April 20, 2021, at The Big E grounds in West Springfield, Massachusetts.

Massachusetts announced changes this week to its COVID-19 vaccine distribution strategy. More shots will be provided to regional sites, mobile clinics and doctor's offices.

Starting Monday, residents can go to mass vaccination sites without an appointment. The site in Springfield will remain open, but Governor Charlie Baker said this week four of the state's seven sites will close by the end of June.

The hope is to improve access to hard-to-reach populations

In Hampden County, the full vaccination rate is at a state low of 29%, according to the latest numbers from health officials.

Panelist Matt Szafranski said he hopes the change helps, as there was not enough emphasis earlier on regional vaccine distribution.

"We know there were supply constraints," Szafranski said. "But I think that there were opportunities to get into a regional situation much earlier, and the governor did not take it. And that hurt us here in Hampden County."

Panelist Brooke Hauser said not having to worry about making an appointment will make getting vaccinated more attractive to some.

"I think access is everything — access and convenience and trust," Hauser said. "People trust their primary care providers. They trust their churches, their houses of worship, their community centers. And if they can't get to a vaccine site, the vaccine should come to them."

In Massachusetts, evictions are starting to return to pre-pandemic levels. Federal protections help in some cases, but a recent court decision has thrown that into question. The state is sitting on nearly $1 billion in pandemic stimulus money — but only a fraction of it has been used for rent relief, and many applications for help have been turned down.

It's still several months before some Massachusetts communities have primary elections, but in Holyoke, the field of mayoral candidates is already crowded. At least a half dozen people have joined the race to succeed former Mayor Alex Morse, who resigned recently after nine years in office.

Also this week, Springfield's Zoning Board of Appeals dealt a proposed biomass plant another blow, saying the building permit expired. This comes after state officials pulled the project's air permit.

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