Thursday, March 25, 2021
Baker-Polito Administration Provides Weekly Dose Updates, $100 Million for Disproportionately Impacted Communities, Announces Homebound Vaccination Program
Today, the Baker-Polito Administration announced the weekly distribution of COVID-19 vaccine doses to providers across the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth has received 330,000 first and second doses from the federal government as part of the state allocation of doses.
The Administration also announced $100 million in funding for four communities – Chelsea, Everett, Methuen and Randolph – that are all designated hardest hit communities but received disproportionately smaller levels of federal funding in the recently passed $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act compared to other communities. The Administration also announced the launch of the Commonwealth’s homebound vaccination program to build on the Administration’s efforts to ensure that all residents of the Commonwealth have equitable access to the vaccine.
Dose Update
The Administration provided the weekly update for doses allocated from the federal government.
This week, the state received a modest increase in supply of first doses, for a total of 172,000. This includes 7,900 doses of J&J vaccine.
In total, the Commonwealth received 330,000 first and second doses as part of the state allocation. These figures do not include doses provided directly from the federal government to the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program or to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC).
This week, first doses and second dose state allocations (total doses), were distributed among providers as follows:
• Health systems and health care providers (excluding community health centers): 115,120
• Mass vaccination locations: 109,750
• Regional Collaboratives and Local Boards of Health: 55,850
• Community Health Centers: 28,820
• Retail pharmacies (non-CVS) state allocation: 10,350
• Mobile Clinics supporting long-term care facilities, congregate care, affordable/low-income senior housing and homebound individuals: 9,800
Weekly allocations are subject to change based on federal availability, demand from providers, and obligations to meet second doses. Providers have 10 days to use their doses and must meet specific performance thresholds.
The Administration has also been informed that the federal government will send a one-time allocation of 40,800 doses of J&J vaccine to the Commonwealth next week as well as a one-time allocation of 20,000 Pfizer first doses.
Federal Doses:
In addition to the state allocation, the federal government distributes vaccines to CVS Health sites as part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Partnership as well as to certain Massachusetts federally qualified community health centers. These quantities fluctuate on a weekly basis and are not counted as part of the state’s weekly allocation.
This week, 115,800 first and second doses were allocated to the retail pharmacy program.
15 FQHCs received 24,570 doses directly from the Federal Government.
Municipal Funding
The Baker-Polito Administration today announced that a total of $100 million in aid will be distributed to Chelsea, Everett, Methuen, and Randolph, four communities that were hit hardest by COVID-19 but are expected to receive disproportionally smaller amounts of federal funding through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. These four municipalities will be able to use this $100 million in direct aid to support costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including direct response efforts, addressing negative economic impacts, replacing revenue lost during the pandemic, making investments in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure, as well as other eligible expenditures.
