For Those Who Staff the Vaccine Clinic
Dear Editor:
On Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the vaccine clinic held right here in Everett at the former Pope John High School. I had the opportunity to see firsthand the amazing professionalism and dedication that both the DeMaria and Cataldo Ambulance staff provided to each of the 386 residents that came through the door. I would like to personally thank Mayor DeMaria, Deanna Devaney, Public Health Nurse Sabrina Firicano, Chad Luongo, Erin Deveney and all of the staff who have worked tirelessly to see this become extremely successful. It has been a true game-changer for our community and I hope that Governor Charlie Baker will see the direct impact it has had on our residents and allow us to be a model community of success in the fight against COVID-19 to continue to administer the vaccine in our community so that our one-on-one relationships encourage our residents to feel comfortable in taking this vaccine. We need and will continue pushing on the Baker Administration to help us get our teachers and front-line workers also vaccinated quickly. We have listened to the Governor for a year now, I hope he will return the same respect and now offer support to local leaders who know our communities best.
Michael McLaughlin
Ward 6 Councilor
Statement of AARP Massachusetts Dear Editor,
On behalf of our 775,000 members and all older Massachusetts residents, we thank Governor Baker for opening the next phase of COVID-19 vaccinations to people aged 65 and over and those with certain health conditions.
We are also pleased to see that the local Boards of Health will be able to vaccinate homebound seniors, and that efforts are focused around outreach to vulnerable, hard to reach populations, including homebound seniors, individuals who participate in ‘meals on wheels’ and others who are eligible but not able to travel to a vaccine site.
AARP Massachusetts has been urging policymakers to prioritize the vaccination of older Americans because of the risk they face from COVID-19. Since the start of the pandemic, nearly 95% of the deaths from COVID-19 have been among people 50 and older. The science has clearly shown that the older people are, the higher risk they face if they contract COVID-19.
We support the prioritization of older Americans in the vaccine allocation process.
Mike Festa
AARP Massachusetts State Director