Cape Cod COVID Task Force Disappointed by Vaccine Roll-out

Cape and Islands State Senator Julian Cyr.

HYANNIS – Members of the Cape Cod COVID-19 Response Task Force have urged the state to increase distribution of the vaccine to the Cape Cod and Islands region.

Member of the task force and Cape & Islands State Senator Julian Cyr (D-Truro) said at a recent task force meeting that the Cape is being “left behind” by the Commonwealth’s distribution plan.

“We need a mass vaccination site on Cape Cod and we need it now. And if we’re not going to get a mass vaccination site on Cape Cod, then we need distribution of adequate vaccines to Barnstable County and to our local health departments, and that is not happening,” said Cyr.

Cyr said that the geographically isolated Barnstable County is the third oldest county in the country, with a large population of residents 75 years and older—the current tier of Phase 2 eligible for vaccinations.

“Right now, in this phase of the vaccination, this is when we have the height of our need. So we need a capacity to meet that need given our disproportionately older population.”

Cyr said that the new mass vaccination sites in Dartmouth and Natick are important steps for getting shots in arms across the state, but they are both still long distances for Cape residents to travel.

He said that conversations to set up a vaccination site at Cape Cod Community College stalled at the state level, and that the Commonwealth has also not reached out to Cape Cod Healthcare to set up a site, either.

“Cape Cod is ready and the infrastructure is in place to effectively and quickly administer vaccinations, but they’re not giving us vaccinations,” said Cyr. 

He also expressed concern over the new announcement allowing companions of those 75 and older getting vaccinations to also receive a vaccination the same day.

He said that while the program does help seniors get to far-away mass vaccination sites, the younger companions take valuable doses away from vulnerable seniors. 

Cyr also said that the system continues to be most rewarding to those with the resources to access the internet and modes of transportation, while the most vulnerable of the population are still left behind by the state’s sites. 

Task force members were pleased by the introduction of the 2-1-1 COVID vaccination hotline, though lamented that it is not without its issues, including staff members not fully informed on Barnstable County town locations.

Cyr said that he continues to hear that there are thousands of appointments available at mass vaccination sites during any given week, yet there are comparatively fewer doses across the Cape. 

He said that if so many slots are going unfilled at mass sites, then Governor Baker should make the extra shots from mass vaccination sites available for local oards of health and other providers.

Task force members said that they will continue to work on outreach to those most vulnerable in the general public, including residents without access to the internet or computer literacy, those who lack transportation or those who are financially challenged. 

“We have always aimed to be real partners here to try to prepare for and help our residents as best we can, but the governor needs to help us help ourselves,” said Cyr.

More information on the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, including the Barnstable County hotline for coronavirus information, can be found here.

About Grady Culhane

Grady Culhane is a Cape Cod native from Eastham. He studied media communications at Cape Cod Community College and joined the CapeCod.com News Center in 2019.



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