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Walk-in and scheduled vaccinations will soon be available at the 505 East St. testing site in Pittsfield.
Starting Tuesday, vaccinations will be offered from 8:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. seven days a week, and appointments can be scheduled at maimmunizations.org, Berkshire Health Systems said in a news release. The North Adams and Great Barrington testing centers will not yet offer walk-in vaccinations, but BHS will work with the Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative to expand vaccine access in the near future, the release said.
More information on vaccinations can be found by calling the BHS COVID-19 hotline at 855-262-5465 or by visiting getvaccinatedberkshires.org.
Almost 60 percent of Berkshire County residents have had at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the latest state data, as eligibility expands to include children as young as 12.
Nearly 90 percent of people aged 70 and older have gotten at least one shot, along with 82 percent of 60- to 69-year-olds and 71 percent of 50- to 59-year-olds. The rate drops to 56 percent for people ages 20 to 50, the age group that became eligible less than a month ago.
The stateâs data reflects vaccinations reported as of Tuesday.
Vaccination rates for Black and Hispanic residents continue to lag behind white residents, according to the data. Fifty-seven percent of white residents in the county have been vaccinated, compared to 37 percent of Black residents and 44 percent of Hispanic residents. The county remains behind the state average in vaccinating Black residents but has leaped ahead in its rate for Hispanic residents.
TEENS JOINING RANKS OF VACCINATED: A Georgia middle school student, Elise Robinson, receives her first coronavirus vaccination on Wednesday in Decatur, Ga. Hundreds of children, ages 12 to 15, received the Pfizer vaccine at the DeKalb Pediatric Center, just days after it was approved for use within their age group. AP
TEENS AND VACCINES: Primary care providers and pediatricians are expected to play a significant role in vaccinating teens and pre-teens, Gov. Charlie Baker said in a stop at a Moderna Therapeutics lab in Norwood on Wednesday.
One of the vaccines that those medical professionals will be administering relatively soon is that labâs product, which the CEO, Stephane Bancel, said is weeks away from an emergency use authorization enabling it to be given to younger teens. It is only administered as of now to adults 18 and older.
VACCINE ROLLOUT: Gov. Charlie Baker plans to join President Joe Biden and other governors in a virtual event Tuesday touting the state s vaccine progress. Massachusetts, Hawaii and Vermont became the