One hundred eligible people are expected to get the coronavirus vaccine in Braintree Wednesday as the city opens its first public vaccination site, complete with its own website and phone bank.
Massachusetts started vaccinating residents 75 years and older Monday as it entered the second phase of its COVID-19 vaccination plan. That age group joins first responders, healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities, who were eligible in Phase 1.
Appointments opened up for those over 75 last week, but the efforts were hampered by numerous accounts of older residents who could not navigate the state's website or waited hours only to find that all slots were already full.
Braintree officials, alongside other cities and towns, decided to take matters into their own hands by setting up the vaccination site, sign-up website and a staffed phone bank in an effort to inoculate more people.
Inside the town hall, the auditorium is all set up and ready to go. More than 300 first responders have already passed through, and now, the town is gearing up to vaccinate those 75 and older.
Approximately 5,000 people have already registered out of the city's population of 37,000, according to Braintree Mayor Charles Kokoros.
“It was just about a year ago that we started talking about closing things," Kokoros said. "The opposite is happening now. We are trying to get people out and about, get people vaccinated, and moving forward”
The first shots will be administered sometime after noon Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Kokoros is calling on the state for more doses, arguing that Braintree is prepared to get as many vaccinated as possible.
