First Responders in MA Will Get Coronavirus Vaccines Next Week

Erin Tiernan Boston Herald (MCT) Police, firefighters and emergency medical responders can begin getting coronavirus vaccines Jan. 11, Gov. Charlie Baker announced, something union leaders say “can’t come soon enough.” “With respect to first responders, obviously I think we all would agree that vaccine distribution can’t happen fast enough,” Baker said on Monday during his regular coronavirus briefing at the State House. “But the process also needs to be thoughtful and thorough.” Vaccinations for the state’s roughly 45,000 first responders will become available on Monday. Some larger departments of 200 or more members will be able to administer vaccines on site so long as they meet “a list of criteria” that includes the ability to properly store the vaccines — some of which need to be held at extremely cold temperatures. Appointments will be available to first responders at 60 vaccination sites spread across the commonwealth, but appointments won’t open until later this week, officials said. Four regional mass vaccination sites will come online later this month, but officials declined to share details on exactly where and when those sites would open. “These men and women put their lives on the line regularly back before we had COVID-19, and for the last 10 months, they’ve kept on working the front lines, protecting and caring for residents across Massachusetts,&#...
Source: JEMS Administration and Leadership - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Coronavirus Industry News Massachusetts Medicine Source Type: news