Town Of Northborough Updates On Coronavirus Vaccination

Press release from the Town of Northborough:

March 11, 2021

COVID-19 Vaccine Updates

Effective March 11th, K-12 educators, childcare workers and school staff will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine under the Massachusetts Vaccine Distribution Plan. Other currently eligible groups include Phase 1 workers, Individuals age 65+, Individuals with 2 or more certain medical conditions, and residents and staff of low income and affordable senior housing. We are aware that many eligible individuals in town are having trouble finding appointments and this is heartbreaking and upsetting to many of us. Unfortunately, the state estimates that it may take up to a month to vaccinate currently eligible individuals with the currently available supply of vaccine. The purpose of this email is to provide tips for residents and employees in town who are trying to secure an appointment. The state is no longer providing first doses to local municipal vaccine sites like the one we have been operating at the Senior Center for the last month. The Town of Northborough submitted a regional proposal for a vaccination site to the state but we have not received a response to date. So at this time, all eligible residents and employees in town are encouraged to register online for an appointment (see instructions below). Below you can also find other vaccine resources and updates including new recommendations for fully vaccinated individuals. We hope you find this information useful. Stay safe!

How to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment online

Eligible individuals are encouraged to register online for an appointment using the Commonwealth's COVID-19 Vaccine Finder to find and schedule appointments. There is a lot of competition and appointments fill very quickly. Here are some tips to help you.

• Pre-register this Friday (3/12). Just today, the Governor announced a new pre-registration process that will allow residents to sign up and be contacted when an appointment is available and you will have 24 hours to accept it! We don't know when this will launch on Friday but check this link often for updates and be the first to signup to improve your chances!
• Be willing to drive. You may need to drive to an appointment site. The 7 Mass Vaccination Sites offer the greatest number of appointments. Many pharmacies like Wegman's in town are not currently offering first doses so make sure to look around and try different zip codes while searching.
• Thursday is the day. The Mass Vaccination sites release appointments weekly on Thursday. Appointments open as early as 7am. The state now offers a waiting room feature so make sure to log in early and hit refresh often. Take the time to become familiar with the state's VaxFinder webpage before Thursday morning.
• Set up alerts and monitor these sites. According to a Boston Magazine article, volunteers have set up a text alert system for CVS and Walgreens appointments, and a Twitter bot programmed to tweet whenever new appointments open up. This resource page also includes some helpful links to other tools, including more sophisticated web monitoring tools, and plug-in that will hit refresh for you. A community of web-savvy Massachusetts residents have begun creating websites aimed at getting the word out. Volunteer-driven websites include MACovidVaccines and VaccinateMA.
• Ask others for help. Your family or friends can help you register. Don't be afraid to ask for help, especially from others who were successful in scheduling appointments or may be more computer savvy. Only share your personal information with trusted friends and remember that insurance is not required so friends and family can just enter no insurance when they get to that part of the registration. Your insurance can be added later when you go to the appointment. A separate initiative called Massachusetts COVID Vaccination Help—which is not an official state program and is run by volunteers - links people looking for a vaccine with people who can help them navigate the system.
• Refresh often. Once you get to the appointment availability webpage on sites like VaxFinder, CVS and Walgreens, keep your browser window open and keep hitting refresh. A place and date may eventually pop up if you have fast fingers. Keep the available appointment screen open and refresh often as appointments may appear if you are persistent.

NEW: CDC Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated Individuals

On March 8th, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) released Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated Individuals. People are considered fully vaccinated:

• 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, like the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
• 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, like Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine
• If it has been less than 2 weeks since your shot, or if you still need to get your second dose, you are NOT fully protected.
• Keep taking all prevention steps until you are fully vaccinated.

Fully vaccinated people can:

• Gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask.
• Gather indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household (for example, visiting with relatives who all live together) without masks, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
• If you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms. (Not fully applicable in group setting).

For now, fully vaccinated people should continue to:

• Take precautions in public like wearing a well-fitted mask and physical distancing
• Wear masks, practice physical distancing, and adhere to other prevention measures when visiting with unvaccinated people who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease or who have an unvaccinated household member who is at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease
• Wear masks, maintain physical distance, and practice other prevention measures when visiting with unvaccinated people from multiple households
• Avoid medium- and large-sized in-person gatherings
• Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
• Follow guidance issued by individual employers
• Follow CDC and health department travel requirements and recommendations

Quarantine Guidelines and MA Travel Order updated for vaccinated

On March 10th, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health updated the Quarantine Guidelines to state that individuals who have received either two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines or a single dose of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, at least 14 days ago are not required to quarantine following an exposure to a COVID-19 positive individual. Click here for the official guidelines.

Additionally, the State's COVID-19 Travel Order was updated to include an exception for vaccinated individuals from mandatory quarantine requirements following travel to non-lower-risk states. Click here for full details.

Do you need Transportation or are you Homebound?

Senior Center staff can assist you in registering for our van service and instruct you how to schedule your ride for COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics and other medical appointments. The van provides transport to the following communities for medical appointments: Marlborough, Westborough, Shrewsbury, Worcester, Boylston, or Southborough. Call the Senior Center at (508) 393-5035 for more information.

If you or someone you know in town is homebound and would like to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, contact the Northborough Health Department at (508) 393-5009. Do you need help making a COVID-19 vaccine appointment?

For those who struggle with the online registration process, family and friends may complete the registration for you. Make sure you have your health insurance card available when registering. Individuals without access to the internet or who are unable to schedule their appointment online can call toll free 2-1-1 or (877) 211-6277 for assistance. The COVID-19 Vaccine Scheduling Resource Line is a dedicated telephone line available for Massachusetts residents. Call center workers will have the same access to appointments that users will see on the public website. Dial 211 and select the prompt for “Help Scheduling a Vaccine Appointment.” The call center is staffed:

• Monday to Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

What vaccine is best?

Click here for a comparison chart on vaccines. The COVID-19 vaccine is safe, effective and free. Massachusetts launched a new website with information on vaccine safety. Visit "COVID-19 VACCINE SAFETY: TRUST THE FACTS". For more information on the COVID-19 Vaccine visit www.mass.gov/vaccine

This press release was produced by the Town of Northborough. The views expressed here are the author’s own.