City of Cambridge to Provide People Who Live or Work in Cambridge $75 Debit Cards at COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic on December 15, 2022

 The City of Cambridge announced that it is offering a $75 debit card to people who live or work in Cambridge who get vaccinated for COVID-19 (first dose, second dose, or booster) at the city-sponsored clinic on Thursday, December 15, from 4-8 p.m., at CambridgeSide, 100 Cambridgeside place.

This free clinic will offer COVID-19 first dose, second dose, and boosters; no ID or health insurance is needed. Children ages 6 months to 4 years can get the COVID-19 vaccine first or second doses (Moderna available), and anyone age 5 years and older can get a COVID-19 first or second dose (Moderna) or updated bivalent booster (Pfizer).

People are strongly encouraged to pre-register for the clinic at: https://camb.ma/signup as walk-up availability is limited. The City of Cambridge is funding the debit cards through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

“Getting vaccinated and receiving the most recent COVID-19 booster dose recommended for you by the CDC remains a critical step to help keep yourself, your family, and your community safe,” said Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui and City Manager Yi-An Huang in a joint statement. “We want to thank our vaccination team and CambridgeSide for working to make this clinic possible before the end of the year. We hope providing a modest financial incentive will further increase Cambridge’s vaccination rates.” 

An updated bivalent booster became available on September 1, 2022. This new booster provides broader protection against COVID-19 variants and helps prevent severe disease.

Residents age 5 or older who completed their primary COVID-19 vaccine series or received the original booster at least 2 months ago should get the new booster to be well protected for the winter season.  As a reminder, residents can mix and match vaccines and do not need to get the same vaccine brand for their booster as they did for their original COVID-19 vaccination. 

While the COVID-19 bivalent boosters are recommended for all eligible residents, they are especially important for individuals age 65 and older and those who have underlying medical conditions or are immunocompromised.

People who live or work in Cambridge interested in signing up to receive a COVID-19 first dose, second dose, or booster can  book an appointment at https://camb.ma/signup.  Clinic participants may use parking in the CambridgeSide parking garage at no cost.

Cambridge residents have been answering the call to get their COVID-19 boosters, with rates increasing weekly. As of December 7, 52% had received a first
booster, and 25% had received a second booster; many of these boosters have been the bivalent dose. For older residents, the rates are considerably higher. Among individuals age 65-74, 62% have had a second booster. A full 70% of residents age 75 and older have this level of protection.

Residents are reminded that in addition to the City-hosted clinic at CambridgeSide, most physicians’ offices and local pharmacies offer COVID-19 vaccinations. For more information and regular COVID-19 updates, please visit www.cambridgema.gov/covid19 to sign up for daily City of Cambridge email updates.