The successful Everett Vaccine Clinic has had to be cut back this week due to a shortage of vaccine coming into the state, according to City officials.
Communications Director Deanna Devaney said the City would not be taking new appointments and would only be administering second doses to those that have been vaccinated at the Everett Vaccine Clinic in the former Pope John High. That is due to the fact that they were informed by the state they would only be getting 400 doses a week through March.
“We’ll only be doing second doses at the clinics through March,” she said. “We believe we’ve shown our ability to be able to vaccinate our residents, but the state says because of the shortage, they can only give us 400 doses per week. If we only get 400 doses per week, we have to make sure there is adequate numbers so we give second doses.”
Last weekend, the clinic vaccinated 440 people in one day, and the previous weekend they vaccinated nearly 1,000 people in the weekend clinic.
“We designed this on our own,” she said. “No one taught us how to do it. It’s all just figuring it out.”
In the beginning, she said they got 400 doses a week, and then also got enough to cover all the second doses. Recently, that was changed and the state said Everett would only get 400 doses in total. That caused them to make the change, and allocate all of their allotment to second doses.
“We don’t know if and when that will change,” she said. “If it does change, we will continue doing first doses.”
At the same time, the Everett Housing Authority does have its own clinic run by the Board of Health. Residents in EHA properties are able to get their own doses through a separate allotment.
Devaney said it is a shame because the clinic was successful and people were comfortable.
“People are coming to the clinics,” she said. “It’s not like we’re having trouble filling them with Everett residents. It’s important because people are comfortable getting vaccinated in a place they are familiar with.”