COVID Vaccinations 75+
Update 2/1/2021

Happy Monday and welcome to February!  We wanted to dive right in this afternoon and provide everyone with the latest and greatest. Before we begin today, please remember to stay warm and stay safe, there is a bit of snow in our forecast for today!  Also, and what is very important, please know that even if you don't have an appointment yet, it will happen, it will take awhile for more to open and for local ones to start up.

Our staff will be working remote today.  If you need help or have questions and you can email us, please do so at coa@wellesleyma.gov.  We are also answer phone calls, if you will be hearing a different message that will prompt you to select an option.  If you select 1, you will be directed to our admin staff who can answer questions and/or place you on our volunteer call back list.

In order to be as comprehensive as possible with these messages, all the details from the day before are included as well.  The sections that have been updated are highlighted in this green background.  We hope our residents find this helpful and informative.

Weather and Vaccination Appointment Rescheduling.

If you have an appointment today or tomorrow, or on another day with inclement weather in the forecast at a local clinic or state vaccination site (you booked on Prep Mod), you can click onto the State's page and see an update on weather.  

Today the banner reads "In case of closures due to winter weather, vaccination locations will reach out to individuals with appointments to reschedule. If you cannot safely get to your appointment, you can reschedule. Reach out to your location with specific questions." 

I am not 75 yet, but I will be in a few months, can I sign up now?

No.  Unfortunately, the State made a hard cut off at the age of 75 for the first group.  All of the scheduling systems screen the date of birth to ensure that the person signing up is in fact over 75.  It's okay though, the 65+ group will be opening in one of the next tiers and everyone will get vaccinated.  Click here for the State's Phase vaccination plan.

I am under 75 and live in elderly housing, when can I sign up for a vaccine?

The State's website indicates that those who live in elderly housing are part of the second tier of Phase 2.  We do not know when this group will become eligible to sign up for an appointment, and/or if there will be a system in place for on-site vaccinations for these sites.  

What vaccines are available?

The two vaccines that are currently available are the Moderna and the Pfizer vaccine.  The CDC website has more detailed information, click here.

I have more questions about COVID 19 vaccinations, where can I go for information.  

The CDC has a page dedicated to FAQs about the vaccination, click here.

How do I get a second dose? Does it have to be the same?

We know that are sites that are connected with Prep Mod, your appointment for your second dose is generated and provided to you during your appointment for your first dose.  We are not as sure with the pharmacy and/or health facility locations.  But yes, it does have to be the same vaccine (Moderna vs Pfizer).

Which site can I use to find an appointment?

There are two different sites that you can use: the first is the statewide map which can be found here; the second is the state’s central scheduling tool Prep Mod, found here.  The map includes every place in the state that offers vaccines.  It is extremely cumbersome and includes places that are not currently on Phase II, places that are only for residents of particular Towns, and a myriad of independent locations such as pharmacies and healthcare facilities offering the vaccine.  Prep Mod is a much easier to use tool, but it only shows local run clinics. 

With the map, even when you pull up the location you still have to go to a separate website and navigate to find out if there are any openings.  The state has a word document that compiles all locations with the details of who they are serving, their website, and their registration processes here, in the center of the page under downloadable list.

Who has available appointments this morning?

As of 7 am this morning, there were no clear openings on Prep Mod or any of the pharmacy websites.  We will work with volunteers to monitor openings and will send out a message when we start seeing appointments available.  

What are we using for tools?

At the Wellesley COA, we have a dozen volunteers who are working on the best way to help our seniors land appointments.  While we are still looking like everyone else to find openings, we have learned a few things during the first day.

Firstly, we have given up on the map, instead we spend time on PrepMod and a separate spreadsheet that we are working keep updated daily with the locations nearby, that our residents would most likely be willing to travel to, along with any notes for those destinations.  Secondly, we are trying to keep track of websites that are easier to navigate.  Although we have yet to be successful, we are using the following:

Boston: South Boston Cs2ommunity Health Center

Hannaford
Middleborough
Uxbridge
Waltham

Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates-Atrius Health
Needham

Holtzman Medical Group at Mt. Ida Campus (UMass Amherst)
Newton

Mass Vaccination Site: Gillette Stadium
Foxborough

Pharmacy - CVS
Newton
Revere
Wayland

Pharmacy - Walgreens
Saugus
**Requires online account

Pharmacy - Wegmans
Chestnut Hill
Northborough
Westwood

State Wide - Prep Mod

Southbridge Community Center/Harrington Hospital

Umass Campus
Marlborough

Umass Campus
Worcester

Webster: InterMed Associates at Webster Medical Center

When are new appointments being posted/opened?

It is our understanding that appointments are being added regularly and get posted at different days and times depending on the host site, municipality/hospital/mass site/pharmacy.  We do not have an understanding of the trends as of yet.  It is our current understanding that many locations will only post a weeks' appointments at any time as they hold off on posting until they receive confirmation from the state that they will in fact receive vaccinations and the number they can expect. That may explain why we are only seeing a few days in February at this time.

Is my health network offering vaccinations to their patients?

Maybe.  Some of us have noticed when we have logged into our accounts through Mass General-Brigham or others, that there is a notice to patients that sometime in the near future they will be reaching out to all of their patients over the age of 75 to provide vaccinations.  This may be of help to some who are involved in these systems as time goes.

Are there vaccinations available in Wellesley?

As of today, there are not currently any locations in Wellesley where someone over the age of 75 can get a vaccine.  The Health Department is working to collaborate with the State to be able to open a clinic in Town over the next few weeks.  We will provide further updates when we know of any locations in Town.

I am homebound.  How can I get a vaccine?

This is a great question and we have been staying in close contact with the Health Department daily to stay in the loop with any updates.  As of first thing this morning, we do not have an answer yet, however, we will continue meeting with the Health Department and they will continue to work with the State to get an answer.  We will update everyone when we know more.

I am a Veteran, is there another way to get a vaccine appointment?

We were originally sending folks the direction of Nancy, our Veteran's Service agent.  We have since been advised that while Nancy is not the most direct contact for these appointments.  The VA is reaching out directly to all veterans enrolled in the VA Healthcare System. If you meet specific VA criteria, you may be eligible to receive the vaccine from the VA.  The West Suburban Veterans' Service office does not make appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine. To enroll in the VA Healthcare System, or ask questions, please call 877-222-VETS (8387). 

Is there a cost and do I have to have insurance? 

There is no cost for a vaccination.  If you do not have insurance, when you sign up for an appointment online, there should be a box/section to select that says no insurance.

I need an Attestation form, and cannot print myself.

We will have blank attestation forms outside our front door at our office, 500 Washington Street, available for anyone to pick-up.  They are now in a holder on the front of the building and are accessible any day/time.  

How to stay informed?

We will continue to send out information as it becomes available.  We will continue to work with our volunteers to reach out to any seniors who have asked for assistance.  We will stay positive and keep working to navigate the system to get everyone involved. 

When can I expect to hear from a volunteer?

Volunteers in our Town have been absolutely amazing.  Last email blast we did a call out for volunteers.  We now have over 15 active volunteers and an additional 15 or more to be trained in the next couple of days.  Thank you everyone who has been in touch to help out!  

We are hoping that even if volunteers may not be able to help a large number of our residents, the information they gleam they can take with them and help their family, neighbors, and friends as vaccination scheduling continues over the next several months!

With over 200 residents in the queue, our volunteers have helped book over 35 appointments and we have heard from 26 residents on the list that they were able to book there own appointments.  We are hopeful that our volunteers will be able to reach out and make contact with the remaining residents on our list by week's end.

Would you like a volunteer to reach out?

Please keep in mind that it may be a several days before you hear from a volunteer, but if you would like to be added to the list for assistance, please email use at coa@wellesleyma.gov or call us at (781) 235-3961.

Do you have an unanswered question?

If the answer is not here, and you cannot find it on the Town's site, you can click here to submit a question to us and we will see what we can do about getting answers and posting them in the next email blast.