Keller @ Large: How Long Before The Massachusetts COVID Vaccination Process Improves?
BOSTON (CBS) – State Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr tells WBZ-TV political analyst Jon Keller that the state's bumpy COVID-19 vaccine rollout is in part due to the lack of vaccine availability from the federal government.
The second issue, according to Tarr, is that the front-end system to make an appointment for the vaccine needs is not user friendly.
"One of the things that's been concerning to us are the number of vaccines that have not gone out and there are a number of reasons for that, those are being addressed right now. There are a number of different issues there: we've got to make it easier on the front end and we've got to make sure we get more vaccine and other that second issue, the federal government is the place to look for an answer," Tarr said.
"We all want to get the vaccination distributed as quickly as possible and in the most appropriate way. But like anything that we're doing for the first time, and there have been so many of those in the case of the pandemic, there are bumps in the road. Those things have to be worked through because there is no clear road map, there is no manual for how to operate in these circumstances."
The state has been receiving 86,000 vaccines a week and that will soon increase to about 100,000.
"That's still a far cry from what we need to vaccinate 85% of the population above the age of 18," said Tarr. "If we're going to make good process, we need more vaccines."
He also said patience is key. "We all need to realize we're in this together. It seems to me that we're going to see improvement within a matter of days but that improvement is going to be evolutionary and not instant."
Keller and Tarr also discussed sports betting, police reform, and the current political climate.
Keller @ Large: Part 2
