Massachusetts Tops 1 Million Coronavirus Vaccine Doses Administered
BOSTON (CBS) - Massachusetts has now administered more than one million doses of the coronavirus vaccine to its residents, the state announced Friday. A total of 1,034,018 shots had been given as of Thursday evening.
"We've surpassed the goal that we set for ourselves at the beginning of Phase 2, to be able to administer 242,000 doses a week," Gov. Charlie Baker said Thursday. "We're growing our capacity. If we get more from the feds, which we anticipate and hope that we will at some point in the not-too-distant future, more people get vaccinated."
According to the state's weekly COVID-19 vaccination report, Massachusetts has now received 1,413,026 cumulative doses. The first COVID-19 vaccine doses arrived in the state on December 14.
Every Thursday the state opens tens of thousands of new appointments at its mass vaccination centers.
"Over 70,000 new appointments went online across mass vaccination sites and pharmacies here in Massachusetts," Baker said Thursday. "30,000 additional pharmacy appointments will become available over the course of the week."
The news of one million doses being administered comes on the heels of several big vaccine-related stories across the state this week.
On Monday, an I-Team investigation discovered that more than 1,200 doses of the COVID vaccine have been wasted in Massachusetts. On Wednesday, the state earned failing grades on a COVID-19 report card from Harvard researchers, and extra coronavirus vaccine doses were given to people on Wednesday in Danvers who did not have appointments.
Baker made his stance clear about the crowded scene in Danvers, saying only those who are eligible and who have made an appointment should be getting vaccinated in Massachusetts.
"We have policies in place with respect to eligibility standards," Baker said. "We expect those to be adhered to."
"If you don't have an appointment, you're not going to get a vaccine, because that's the way the process is set up and that's the way it's going to work."
Massachusetts is currently in Phase 2 of its coronavirus vaccination timelines, as residents ages 75 and older are eligible for the vaccine. Thursday marked the first day that caregivers could make an appointment for their own COVID vaccine when bringing someone over the age of 75 to a mass vaccination site in Massachusetts.
Visit Mass.Gov/CovidVaccine to find out when you're eligible and to book an appointment.
