Cape Officials Ask Seniors For Patience During Vaccine Shortage

HYANNIS, MA — Cape Cod health officials and representatives on Beacon Hill asked seniors for patience while remaining hopeful that more coronavirus vaccines will be available for residents over 75 soon.

Given the slow rollout a COVID-19 vaccines, a process Gov. Charlie Baker has been displeased with, Barnstable County has been receiving just 975 vaccines per week, said Sean O'Brien, the director of the county's Department of Health and Environment, on a call Wednesday with thousands of Cape Cod seniors.

O'Brien and state Sen. Julian Cyr (D-Truro), asked for patience and said they are working with state officials and the federal government to get more vaccines for Barnstable County, which has the third highest population of residents over 65 in Massachusetts.

Both said they are also working with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to fix glitches in the vaccination sign-up software the state uses. The glitches made navigating the state's website a struggle for residents. In some cases, residents have waited hours and later found out all the slots were filled.

"We are ready, but there's a lack of doses making it over the bridges from federal and state government," Cyr said. Doses have been insufficient to meet demand, but this is a temporary obstacle. It will get better as the Commonwealth acquires the vaccine."

O'Brien said CVS stores throughout the Cape will get the vaccine, and county officials will open vaccination sites in Orleans, Eastham and Provincetown once the state delivers more doses.

Since the start of Phase 1 of the vaccine rollout, 10,700 residents have received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, while more than 5,000 have gotten their second dose. Most of these people have been health care workers and first responders, Cyr said.

Cape health officials said some seniors were vaccinated at the Cape Cod Melody tent in Hyannis and the fairgrounds in Falmouth, despite the slow rollout. According to Cape Cod Healthcare CEO Mike Lauf, those initial doses were prioritized for residents over 90 with two or more comorbidities.

Both Lauf and Dr. Kevin Mulroy, a physician and the chief quality officer at Cape Cod Healthcare, said the vaccines are safe and urged seniors to get them as soon as possible. Mulroy said the faster the vaccine is distributed, the faster herd immunity can be reached. If enough people take the vaccine, COVID-19 restrictions could be gone on Cape Cod by summer or fall, he said.

"We can't develop herd immunity until we get at least 70 percent of Cape Codders vaccinated," Mulroy said. "We will have to continue to mask and social distance until then."