Milford To Host Coronavirus Vaccine Town Hall

MILFORD, MA — The Milford Board of Health and Milford's two town political committees will host a forum this week to address questions about the coronavirus vaccine.

Massachusetts began distributing the vaccine in early 2021, beginning with the two-shot Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. The one-shot Johnson & Johnson version was approved for use this week, and thousands of doses are heading to the state.

The new doses come at a key point with state officials grappling with a shortage of vaccines. As of Tuesday, anyone over age 65 and anyone with two or more specific medical conditions could get an appointment for a shot — if one can be found. The state has been adding about 50,000 appointments each Thursday morning, and the appointments typically run out within minutes.

Here's more on Milford's forum from a Milford Democratic Town Committee press release:

The Milford Board of Health, in partnership with the Milford Democratic Town Committee, Milford Republican Town Committee and Milford TV, will host a town hall-style Thursday at 7 p.m. to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine. The event, which will be broadcast live on Milford TV, will feature health agent Dr. Jacquelyn Murphy answering viewer-submitted questions and be moderated by "Milford Informer" host Tim Caouette.

"We want people to have the opportunity to ask their own questions about the COVID-19 vaccines," Murphy said. "We want to emphasize that the vaccines are safe and effective, given the information that we have right now and the information that continues to be published."

The broadcast will be available over the air on Comcast channel 8 and Verizon channel 38, as well as through Milford TV's website and their Roku and smartphone apps. The video will also be available through Milford TV's Video On Demand service after the event ends.

The Milford DTC and Milford RTC are teaming up to organize, promote and collect questions for the event.

"We may be a political organization, but we're members of the community first and foremost," said DTC member Nick Cusworth, one of the event organizers. "Anything we can do to combat the flood of misinformation and keep our family and neighbors safe, we're going to do it."

"Vaccine distribution can be very confusing, especially for the elderly," said RTC chair Ann Ragosta. "This Thursday’s forum will be a wonderful opportunity for Milford residents to get needed clarity directly from the Milford Board of Health."

Questions can be submitted online at bit.ly/milfordvaccineforum, or by email to milfordmadtc@outlook.com. Questions will also be accepted live on the night of the event via Facebook Live.