Regional First Responder Coronavirus Vaccine Clinics Wrap Up

LEXINGTON, MA — About 600 first responders from Arlington, Belmont, and Lexington received their second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on Feb. 10 thanks to a regional vaccination effort.

The clinic was held at Arlington High School gymnasium. It included police, fire, emergency medical technicians and support personnel, plus school nurses who are administering vaccinations and COVID-19 testing in school populations.

“We are grateful to Arlington for hosting these clinics and sharing their expertise along with Belmont,” said Derek Sencabaugh, Lexington’s Fire Chief. “We look forward to continuing to collaborate with our regional partners in order to get as many people vaccinated as possible and get to the new normal.”

The vaccine administered at these clinics follows the MA COVID-19 vaccine distribution timeline. However, since the first responder clinic on Jan. 12, which provided 600 doses of the vaccine, many municipalities — including Arlington, Belmont, and Lexington — have received 100 doses per week, making for a very slow vaccination rollout locally.

“The clinic that was set up in the Arlington High School gymnasium was very impressive,” said Wayne Haley, Belmont’s Acting Fire Chief. “I’d like to thank all the folks that have been working hard to administer the vaccine to our first responders. The volume of personnel that were vaccinated on Wednesday was really something to see.”