HCN News & Notes

Baker-Polito Administration Announces Vaccine Bus Clinic Tour

BOSTON — The Baker-Polito administration announced additional vaccination opportunities for Massachusetts residents via the VaxBus, a rolling mobile vaccination unit that will increase access to COVID-19 vaccines across the state. Two buses will provide local community-based vaccination clinics as they travel across the state from now through Thursday, July 15.

Massachusetts continues to be a national leader in vaccination rates, with more than 81% of adults having received at least one dose and over 4.1 million residents fully vaccinated.

Yankee Line, a partner in the Commonwealth’s vaccination effort, will hold mobile clinics in 23 municipalities across Massachusetts as part of the VaxBus tour. The municipalities include those that are part of the Vaccine Equity Initiative and those with lower-than-average vaccination rates. The municipalities chose the clinic locations in central and easy-to-access locations to reach individuals that may have trouble getting vaccinated in a traditional setting. Municipalities will also assist with outreach and coordination with local community-based organizations and industry groups to increase awareness about the clinics. The two buses will spend one to two days in each municipality, and host one to three clinics per day.

The VaxBus will make stops at locations in Amherst, Attleboro, Boston, Brockton, Chicopee, Dartmouth, Fall River, Fitchburg, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Middleborough, New Bedford, Pittsfield, Provincetown, Revere, Springfield, Taunton, West Springfield, Westfield, and Worcester. All eligible residents who are vaccinated on the VaxBus tour will also be entered into a giveaway for select TD Garden concert tickets to see Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin, the Weeknd, or Kiss 108 Jingle Ball.

Vaccinations will take place onboard the ADA-accessible bus. Purple Shield will provide medical staff. Members of the public can walk up without an appointment. The VaxBus will offer the two-dose Pfizer vaccine for ages 12 and up and the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine for ages 18 and up. Additional information is available at mass.gov/vaxbus.

A second round of vaccinations onboard the VaxBus will take place July 17 to Aug. 5 at the same locations. The full schedule for the VaxBus can be found by visiting mass.gov/vaxbus. Additional stops will be added on a rolling basis.