Severe vaccine shortage hinders Cambridge s rollout plan
COVID-19 infection rates remain near peak levels; We cannot let our guard down, says city manager
Adam Sennott
Wicked Local
Cambridge is hoping to get more COVID-19 vaccines to inoculate Phase 2 populations, as it attempts to address gaps in access and outreach amid a statewide vaccine shortage.
City Manager Louis DePasquale updated City Council on the city’s vaccination efforts and infection statistics during Wednesday night’s rescheduled council meeting.
As part of Phase 1, Cambridge Pandemic Collaborative administered 1,231 COVID-19 vaccines Jan. 11-15 to first responders (909), as well as clients and staff at homeless shelter and meals programs (322).
Cambridge began vaccinating residents 75 or older at the beginning of February as it entered the next phase of its Covid-19 vaccination program, though statewide and national vaccine shortages continue to hamper its rollout.
On Feb. 1, the state entered Phase Two of its vaccine distribution program, during which residents aged 75 or older became eligible to receive the vaccine.
Individuals aged 65 or older, school and public health workers, and individuals with comorbidities will also be able to receive the Covid-19 vaccine later in Phase Two, though the exact date is still unknown.
During Phase One, the City of Cambridge administered 1,231 vaccines to first responders and individuals experiencing homelessness, according to Cambridge Chief Public Health Officer Claude Jacob, who presented an update on the city’s Covid-19 response during the Feb. 3 City Council meeting.
Wicked Local
Even though a Cambridge-based company created one of the leading COVID-19 vaccines, the city doesn t have its own inoculation site nor does it have access to more doses amid a state-wide shortage.
In fact, the city, one of the largest in the state, was recently capped at 100 weekly doses, as were other Massachusetts municipalities.
So just three days before the Phase 2 rollout Feb. 1, in which residents 75 and older are prioritized, questions heavily outweigh answers.
Some confusion seems to be around the city s role in the rollout. In several communications, the Cambridge Public Health Department stressed that neither the city nor the health department have any control over the vaccine supply. Everything is funneled through the federal government. The fact that Cambridge doesn t have a vaccination site yet has more to do with the supply shortage.
BOONE â The Watauga Compassionate Community Initiative held its weekly Wednesday Conversations webinar Dec. 9, with a focus on defining what traumas most affect Watauga County and how local businesses and the community around them can become trauma-informed.
Emily Harwood, Lindsey Sullivan and McKenzie Hellman lead the conversation, as the three work for AppHealthCare and their Resilience Catalysts project. Harwood is also a member of the WCCIâs leadership team.
AppHealthCare was first selected as a member of the Community Resilience Network and Collaborative at the time of the BCRNCâs launch in November 2019, and is one of only four Resilience Catalysts in the nation.