Baker-Polito Administration Announces New Walk-Up Options at Mass Vaccination Sites, Provides Weekly Dose Update

The Baker-Polito Administration today announced that beginning next week, most of the Commonwealth’s mass vaccination sites will open for walk-up appointments. The Administration also provided the weekly update on the state’s allocation of vaccines received from the federal government.

The Administration, CIC Health, FEMA and other partners also announced a new milestone of 250,000 doses administered at the FEMA supported Community Vaccination Clinic at the Hynes Convention Center.

Mass Vaccination Sites Open for Walk Ups

Beginning Monday, May 10th, six of the Commonwealth’s mass vaccination sites will open for walk up vaccination. These sites include the Hynes Convention Center, the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury, the Double Tree in Danvers, the former Circuit City in Dartmouth, the Eastfield Mall in Springfield and the Natick Mall.

Residents should still go to VaxFinder to find a location near them and plan their vaccination. Residents will be able to use each site’s VaxFinder listing to either book appointments or view more details about walk-up appointments. VaxFinder also lists important information like each site’s accessibility options, MBTA Trip Planner and more. Over 500 locations have open availability on VaxFinder.

Weekly Dose Update

This week, the Commonwealth received 381,970 first and second doses as part of the state allocation. These figures do not include doses provided directly from the federal government to the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) or Community Vaccination Center (CVC).

This week, first doses and second dose state allocations (total doses), were distributed among providers as follows:

• Health systems and health care providers (excluding community health centers): 153,340
• Regional Collaboratives and Local Boards of Health: 91,340
• Mass vaccination locations: 118,080
• Community Health Centers state allocation only: 12,110
• Retail pharmacies (non-CVS) state allocation only: 3,500
• Mobile Clinics supporting long-term care facilities, congregate care, affordable/low-income senior housing and homebound individuals: 3,400

Weekly allocations are subject to change based on federal availability, demand from providers, and obligations to meet second doses. Providers have 10 days to use their doses and must meet specific performance thresholds.

Federal Doses

In addition to the state allocation, the federal government has increased its distribution of vaccines to CVS Health sites as part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Partnership as well as to certain Massachusetts federally qualified community health centers. These quantities fluctuate on a weekly basis and are not counted as part of the state’s weekly allocation but represent an increasing allocation to selected locations.

This week, 130,080 first and second doses were allocated to the retail pharmacy program.

FQHCs received 42,210 doses directly from the Federal Government.

The Community Vaccination Clinic at the Hynes Convention Center was allocated 42,120 doses.