Gov. Baker Acknowledges 'Very Frustrating' MA Vaccine Rollout

ACROSS MASSACHUSETTS —Gov. Charlie Baker acknowledged a "very frustrating day" on the first day that those 75 years old and older were able to register for a coronavirus vaccination appointment in Phase Two of the state's vaccine rollout on Wednesday.

Baker said that 10,000 appointment spots at the mass vaccination sites in Danvers and Springfield were "booked within hours" and 40,000 openings for the Fenway Park and Gillette Stadium sites released Thursday morning were booked by noon. He said 15,000 additional spots in Danvers and Springfield were "being booked" as of midday Thursday.

The 100,000 openings for next week represent a 20,000 increase in the federal allotment expected for next week and are in addition to the 8,000 appointments available through eight CVS sites statewide.

The state will post openings for the mass vaccination sites on Thursdays each week with the smaller sites posting them daily as they become available.

"We obviously know everybody is anxious to put this behind them and we know people want to get their shots as soon as possible," Baker said at a news conference in Plymouth. "But we are asking people to have a little patience here. Because even as we add capacity there are currently somewhere around one million people, plus or minus, in Massachusetts who are eligible to get vaccinated (in phase 2) and at 100,000 doses a week you can do the math and figure out that might mean it could take a little while for you to have the opportunity to get your first vaccination."

Baker reiterated that the state will be able to deliver 305,000 doses statewide by the middle of February, which will include both first and second doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines. He said some upcoming weeks may be filled with people due for a second dose of the vaccine and that he hopes the amount of vaccine pledged from the federal government will increase in the coming weeks.

Many seniors complained on Wednesday they spent hours trying to book appointments online only to find out there were none available.

"With the high volume of people looking to secure appointments all at once it was a very frustrating day," Baker allowed. "We know that. Especially for people looking to book an appointment and who couldn't find one."

Patience and persistence, he said, will be the key to getting an appointment in early February.

"If you don't see an opening at a site that's interesting to you or a place you would like to go you should just go back to that site each day," he advised, "and eventually an opportunity will become available and you can take it."

Baker said the mass vaccination sites will only book appointments for the amount of vaccine pledged to the state for the following week.

"One of the reasons we are sticking to the one-week calendar on this is we don't want to end up where other states have been where they schedule appointments and when (people) show up there is no vaccine there for them," Baker said.

The state is planning to create "more resources" for seniors having trouble accessing the online system — including a state call center that he hopes will be staffed and operational soon. He said, in hindsight, he would have liked the call option available before the start of phase 2 registration.

Baker said President Joe Biden's pledge to give states a forecast of the number of vaccines expected three weeks in advance should allow the state to better plan for appointments by the second half of February.

Most people are having the second vaccination dose while they are waiting about 15 minutes after their shot to make sure there is no negative reaction.

Baker said the vaccine is "free" but that those will insurance will be billed through their insurance company.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)

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