Westford Health Department Is Waiting For Coronavirus Vaccine

WESTFORD, MA — The Westford Health Department is still waiting for the coronavirus vaccine.

"We are a registered and approved site, vaccine was requested, but none was allotted for this week," the health department said Monday.

The state allows local Health Department to request 100 vaccines per week. Health officials said they plan to continue to request the doses.

"We are fully prepared to open a clinic as soon as we have it," the health officials said.

The department officials did not say what happened to the doses the town requested. But shipments have been slow to come out across the country and in Massachusetts.

Westford is not alone in having issues surrounding the vaccine.

Last month in less than an hour after announcing the clinics were open for appointments, the two Chelmsford Board of Health COVID-19 vaccination clinics for residents age 75 and older were filled.

Gov. Charlie Baker insisted the state will be able to deliver 305,000 doses statewide by the middle of February and that he hopes the amount of vaccine pledged from the federal government will increase in the coming weeks.

The state opened a call center Friday for seniors having trouble accessing the state's online system.

Where vaccinations are happening in and around Westford

This week, all first responders will be receiving their second vaccine through a regional effort organized and supported in part by Westford, according to the town.

On Monday, Lowell General Hospital shifted its COVID-19 Mass Vaccination Program to Cross River Center, 1001 Pawtucket Blvd. East, to expand efforts to vaccinate those included in Phase 1 of the state’s vaccination guidelines as well as those 75 and over. Circle Health affiliated primary care practices is scheduling those appointments, which are not yet available to the general public.

Lowell General officials expect the site will be able to vaccinate approximately 400 people per day, with the ability to scale up to 1,000 per day in the coming weeks as access to the vaccine increases.

If you are over 75, and your primary care provider is part of Circle Health or affiliated with Lowell General Hospital please contact your primary care provider for an appointment, or go to: Lowell General.org

The state has additional vaccination locations.

CVS Pharmacy is now administering the COVID-19 vaccine by appointment in Hanover; Newton, Revere, and Wayland, for people age 75+ and qualifying essential workers. You can register here.

Walgreens is also starting to vaccinate. For more information, go to: www.walgreens.com