Now that all Massachusetts residents above 16 are eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine, a number of health center-operated sites and pharmacy locations in Dorchester and Mattapan are accepting appointments, with vaccine supplies for doses depending on the location.

The state website lists Russell Auditorium and Morningstar Baptist Church as healthcare locations. Walgreens locations on Morton Street, River Street, Gallivan Boulevard, and Dorchester Avenue are listed as having appointment availability, as are CVS locations on Blue Hill Ave. (in Dorchester and Mattapan), and on Washington Street. The South Bay Stop and Shop is taking appointments through its website, as is the Osco Pharmacy at Star Market on Morrissey Boulevard.

On Tuesday, a pharmacist at Osco confirmed to the Reporter that the facility is administering doses of the Moderna vaccine on an appointment-only basis from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; however, sign-ups can only be made online and availability is subject to change as vaccine supplies fluctuate. That same day, multiple checks of the registration page showed zero availability for appointments.

Weekend brought milestone for state

About 100,000 people became fully vaccinated between last Friday and Sunday, pushing Massachusetts over the 2 million vaccinated mark – roughly halfway to the state’s goal for protecting its population from the coronavirus that has fueled the ongoing global pandemic for more than a year.

As access to the vaccine was opened to everyone 16 or older on Monday, the Department of Public Health reported that there are now 2,059,487 people who have completed their vaccination regimen in Massachusetts. The state also administered its five-millionth vaccine dose over the weekend, boosting the total number of shots given here to 5,130,458 since December.

During the three-day Patriots’ Day weekend, DPH also confirmed 4,195 new cases of Covid-19 and announced 36 deaths caused by confirmed or likely cases of the virus, which has to date infected 632,707 people in Massachusetts, 17,481 of whom have died.

The number of people hospitalized with Covid-19 and the state’s seven-day positivity rate continued their yo-yoing trends over the weekend. Hospitalizations were up by six patients to 705 as of Monday’s report and the positive test rate declined about 10 percent over the weekend to 2.04 percent.

As Massachusetts passed the milestone of 2 million full vaccinations this weekend, the Baker administration pointed out that the Bay State is now first for first doses administered per capita and for total doses administered per capita among states with at least 5 million residents. At least 85 percent of the state’s residents 75 or older have had at least a first dose, better than the national average of 80 percent, and every county has vaccinated at least three-quarters of its 75-plus population.

– COLIN A. YOUNG
State House News Service