North Shore Vaccine Efforts To Focus On Youth, Hardest-Hit Groups

DANVERS, MA — With more than two-thirds of regional residents receiving at least one coronavirus vaccine shot, the North Shore Coalition for a Safe Summer cities and towns will focus their upcoming vaccination efforts on students and those populations hardest hit during the crisis.

The 10 cities and towns — Beverly, Danvers, Gloucester, Hamilton, Marblehead, Nahant, Newburyport, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott — which came together in a regional effort in April to promote vaccinations as a way to most quickly open the North Shore for summer business, said that as of this week 68 percent of residents in those communities had received at least one vaccine shot, with 61 percent fully vaccinated.

When the program was launched in late April, only 37 percent of the same resident pool had been fully vaccinated.

"The incredible progress we've made on vaccination over the last seven weeks is a testament to our residents, our local public health teams and municipal leaders, and the Commonwealth's leadership to ensure that Massachusetts is among the most highly-vaccinated states in the country," said Peabody Health and Human Services Director Sharon Cameron said. "As we get closer to 70 percent of residents fully vaccinated across our communities, we can certainly look forward to a safe and healthy summer on the North Shore.

"We have to continue to build on this momentum and focus our outreach on those residents who may still be hesitant to be vaccinated.”

The Coalition said on Tuesday that over the next several weeks it will focus its outreach efforts on the student population — currently 12 years old and older — eligible for the vaccine, as well as populations that have been disproportionately impacted during the pandemic.

There will be mobile vaccination options, along with educational resources for the vaccine-hesitant, as well as opportunities at schools for students to become vaccinated.

There will also be efforts to help residents struggling in the aftermath of the 15-month-long pandemic, including a North Shore Teen Mental Health Day at Obear Park in Beverly on Saturday.

"We all have a role to play in protecting our communities and bringing an end to this pandemic," Salem Health Agent Dave Greenbaum said. "The COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. continue to show they are safe and highly effective at protecting people against the virus, including new and more contagious variants.

"We're encouraging residents who have not yet been vaccinated to do so as soon as they're able, and continue to identify new ways to make that choice as easy and convenient as possible."

As of June 10, Beverly had 60 percent of its residents fully vaccinated and 67 percent with at least one dose.

Danvers had 61 percent of its residents fully vaccinated and 68 percent with at least one dose.

Marblehead had 71 percent of its residents fully vaccinated and 80 percent with at least one dose.

Peabody had 56 percent of its residents fully vaccinated and 63 percent with at least one dose.

Salem had 54 percent of its residents fully vaccinated and 61 percent with at least one dose.

Swampscott had 69 percent of its residents fully vaccinated and 78 percent with at least one dose.

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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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