As Massachusetts passes an important stage of the vaccine this weekend, it will soon take another step to speed up the state-wide inoculation process.
As of Monday, Natick Mall opens as the state’s newest mass vaccination site, joining four others already in place for eligible residents to receive their fires.
The Natick site, serviced by LabCorp, plans to begin administering approximately 500 doses of vaccine per day. Eventually, officials there hope to administer about 3,000 doses a day.
The site will begin administering 500 doses per day to begin with, with the goal of reaching 3,000 per day.
Natick Mall joins Gillette Stadium, Fenway Park, DoubleTree in Danvers and Eastfield Mall in Springfield, as mass vaccination sites are now open in the state. The former Circuit City of Dartmouth is set to open on February 24.
People say that a fifth place of mass vaccination is a step in the right direction, but they say that there are still not enough.
“I think we need more vaccination sites near the Cape Cod area, because there are a lot of older people who need vaccinations and the rest of the age group and drive long distances to get the shot,” Benjamin Baker of Raynham, he said.
“I think it’s a great idea, especially because there are so many people who haven’t received it yet and with all the virus circulating, it’s better if they have more sites,” said Tammi Stevens. , by Raynham.
The federal government has blamed the delays caused by the winter weather and staff shortages. In Framingham, Saturday’s coronavirus clinic was postponed for two weeks, before the state announced that more than 135,000 doses had arrived three days earlier than expected.
Mass vaccination sites currently account for about half of the available appointments, according to the vaccine seeker’s website.
The state reached a critical stage on Saturday, announcing that more than a million people have now received the first dose of vaccine and more than 370,000 have already received the second dose.
In all, nearly 1.4 million doses of the vaccine were administered in Bay State.
The good news comes after a frustrating week of failures, the state’s vaccination process, including early transfers of vaccine doses delayed due to bad weather.
More than a hundred thousand doses arrived on Friday, three days earlier than feared, meaning appointments should not be canceled, according to Governor Charlie Baker’s administration.
“The administration appreciates the efforts made to get this critical transport here and does not anticipate further delays from the federal government for vaccine shipments at this time,” Command Center spokeswoman Kate Reilly said Friday.
State and local leaders hosted a roundtable discussion on Saturday to discuss racial differences with the vaccine distribution in Massachusetts. MPs say disadvantaged communities need all the resources they can get.
Earlier in the week, Baker had suggested sending the National Guard south to pick up the delayed shipments of the vaccine.
The vaccination registration website also collapsed on Thursday shortly after opening for people 65 and older. Meeting spaces for that age group fill up quickly.