Massachusetts officials are planning to roll out more details on vaccinations for first responders, MassLive has learned.
Officials are in talks with hospital leaders around the state to announce a rollout plan for police, fire and medical personnel, according to a source familiar with the plans.
The Baker administration released its COVID-19 vaccination plan early last week, based on recommendations from a state advisory board that included doctors and community leaders. The plan outlined who would be first in line to get a vaccine.
The first doses will be given, in this order, to: “clinical and non-clinical” healthcare workers involved in direct and COVID-facing care; workers and residents in long-term care facilities, rest homes and assisted living centers; police, fire and other emergency personnel; congregate care settings, including shelters and correctional facilities; home-based healthcare workers; and healthcare workers involved in non-COVID-facing care.
MassLive has reached out to the Executive Office of Health and Human Services and the state COVID-19 Command Center for comment.
While hospitals have received doses and started inoculating health care workers, hospital officials did not immediately receive guidance on how to vaccinate first responders and others in phase one.
Residents and workers in long-term care facilities will receive the vaccine through the Centers for Disease Control’s Long-Term Care Pharmacy Partnership program.
State health officials estimated more than 200,000 doses will be available in December followed by just under 2 million in the spring during the second phase of vaccine distribution.
Pfizer was approved last week for emergency use authorization of its two-dose vaccine after a meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. An FDA panel endorsed a two-dose vaccine candidate from Moderna, which is on track to get the green light for its emergency use authorization for distribution as soon as next week.
Gov. Charlie Baker initially ordered 60,000 doses of a Pfizer vaccine and said the state would get roughly 300,000 doses. But the federal government this week dropped the number of shipments going to Massachusetts. The state is expected to receive around 42,900 doses, according to the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.
Some vials contain extra doses of the vaccine.
Related Content:
