Pop-up sites and door-knocking are new tactics in the quest to reach the unvaccinated
Stateâs vaccine strategy goes hyper-local in latest phase of rollout
By Robert Weisman Globe Staff,Updated May 9, 2021, 4:58 p.m.
Email to a Friend
Now itâs all about the ground game.
With more than 2.7 million Massachusetts residents fully vaccinated and the pace of COVID-19 shots slowing markedly,
state officials are stepping up efforts to reach the holdouts.
No longer is the stateâs campaign focused on moving thousands through mass vaccination sites such as Gillette Stadium, which is slated to close next month.
Instead, the scene is shifting to smaller venues like American Veterans Hall in Haverhill, where at times last Thursday there were more vaccinators and support staff than people seeking shots. Kenyan-born Teresia Wanjihia was able to walk in, register, and get injected within minutes.
By WHAV Staff |
Manny Matias, president of the Haverhill Latino Coalition, receives his COVID-19 vaccination. (Courtesy photograph.)
Haverhill hosts a second, free public vaccination clinic Sunday, May 23, following on the success of its first weekend clinic geared toward the Hispanic and Latino communities and high school students 16 and older.
Last weekend’s vaccine administration was led by the Haverhill Latino Coalition and organized by Mayor James J. Fiorentini.
“Our efforts led to a very successful Sunday clinic, serving over 80 people,” Manny Matias, president of the Haverhill Latino Coalition, said. “The Haverhill Latino Coalition and the mayor understand that you have to get down to that very grassroots level, understand what communities need, listen to those local members and meet them where they are,” Matias added.