Gov. Baker: No Appointment, No Coronavirus Vaccine

DANVERS, MA — State residents without a coronavirus vaccination appointment should not converge on sites in hopes of securing an excess dose at the end of the day.

That was Gov. Charlie Baker's message on Thursday after hundreds of people showed up at the Danvers DoubleTree mass vaccination site on Wednesday upon fast-spreading reports there were up to 300 extra doses that would be discarded if not used. Although some were able to get the impromptu shot – despite most not being eligible under the state's vaccination rollout – Baker said that scene should not be repeated.

"We have policies in place in respect to dosing and eligibility standards and we expect those to be adhered to," he said during a Thursday news conference. "We don't believe there should be a cattle call at the end of the day.

"If you don't have an appointment, you're not getting a vaccine."

Baker said it is up to those managing the vaccination sites to prepare only the amount of inventory to fit that day's appointments. One day after touring and praising the Danvers site, he said he spoke to representatives from Curative — the company that runs the vaccination site in Danvers and thousands of others across the country — about better managing their supply to avoid what happened on Wednesday.

"This other stuff is completely inconsistent with our policies," he said.

With vials of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine often having one extra dose, and some appointments canceled or abandoned, vaccine distributors are faced with either disposing of the vaccine or using it on the closest available candidate. While some have proposed a "waitlist" of those who can quickly get to a location for the shot, Baker discouraged any system that he said could undermine confidence that there will be a dose for everyone who has an appointment.

"Anything that heads down that road is eventually going to lead to that assumption that you will have an opportunity to get a vaccine (who are not eligible)," he said. "The more people talk about vaccinating people who don't have appointments the more people who do have appointments will be concerned whether a vaccine will be there for them."

He said as more federal supply becomes available, appointments will be more plentiful. But until then the strict protocols are in place to get as much of the most vulnerable population – those 75 years old or older – vaccinated as possible.

Baker said the state will have distributed more than one million vaccination shots over the past two months of the rollout as of Thursday.

Starting Thursday, those who are 75 years old and older were allowed one caregiver or companion to accompany them to the appointment and get vaccinated themselves if they register for an appointment. Baker said this should be a trusted friend, family member or professional caregiver, and anyone who solicits an elderly resident to be their "companion" should be reported to local or state authorities.

He also said that anyone who has had the coronavirus should still get vaccinated when it is their turn to protect themselves — and others — from variant strains that may be resistant to their antibodies.

Asked if New York opening indoor music and sports venues of 10,000 seats or more to fans up to 10 percent capacity meant Fenway Park could see fans on Opening Day, Baker said it will depending on the metrics in upcoming weeks, but cited a daily test positive rate of less than 2 percent on Wednesday -- down from 8.6 percent in early January – as a sign "we are making a lot of progress on our COVID numbers."

Did you find this article useful? Invite a friend to subscribe to Patch.

(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.)

More Patch Coverage: Beverly Woman Shares Story Of Her Day At Danvers Vaccination Site

Salem State Vaccination Site Openings To Be Posted Weekly

Gov. Baker Backs Danvers Mass Vaccination Site's Merits

State To Vaccinate Those Accompanying 75+ Residents To Mass Sites