Salem State Vaccination Site Could Do 1,100 Shots A Day: Mayor

SALEM, MA — The Salem State University coronavirus vaccination site used for first responders and health care workers in five North Shore communities earlier this year could do more than 1,100 shots per day, according to Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll.

Driscoll said in a social media post that the city and a dozen neighboring communities have applied to be one of the state's regional collaboratives with the school and Cataldo Ambulance.

"We should be able to vaccinate 1,100 (plus) individuals a day at SSU — even more if we use the O'Keefe Center rink site," she said. "We are hopeful that as soon as the state has additional vaccines coming in from the feds that this site will be approved."

She said she hopes the site will be approved for the start of April.

"The state expects the current vaccine constraints to remain in place through the end of this month," she said. "We're ready to mobilize and set up the site as soon as we get the vaccine."

In recent weeks, lack of supply has not allowed the site to provide "first doses" of the vaccine. Those previously vaccinated at the site are able to get their "second doses."

Gov. Charlie Baker said the state will focus on supplying mass vaccination sites —like the one in Danvers — and regional collaboratives in underserved areas of the state while supplies remain limited. The federal pharmacy program has also expanded in recent weeks with more and more CVS locations being added as educators became eligible for the vaccine.

President Joe Biden said Thursday night that he will direct states to make all adults eligible for the vaccine by May 1.

Local Boards of Health were charged with using their limited doses to target residents that might be homebound, congregate housing settings and the vaccine-hesitant.

The site had been used as a smaller regional site for Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Salem and Swampscott residents. Gov. Baker said that collaboratives now must be open to all state residents.

Driscoll said in Salem 73 percent of the city's 75-plus population has received at least one vaccine dose and that the city held two Salem Housing Authority senior housing complex clinics.

Twenty percent of all city residents have been vaccinated — up from 17 percent last week.

"We're moving in the right direction," Driscoll said, "albeit not as fast as we'd like.

"We are doing everything within our ability to connect Salem educators, school staff and childcare workers with vaccination information and again, hope to have a regional clinic up and running soon."

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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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