BROOKLINE — Town Administrator Mel Kleckner and Health Commissioner Dr. Swannie Jett wish to provide Brookline residents with regular updates on the COVID-19 vaccine, including the latest information on its distribution within Brookline.
When Can You Be Vaccinated?
The Brookline Department of Public Health has collaborated with the Office of Emergency Management to develop a form that community members are encouraged to complete in order to better understand when they will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine.
Brookline residents are strongly urged to refrain from calling the town’s Department of Public Health, and instead refer to the state website for the most up-to-date vaccine information. Public Health staff are currently working hard to conduct contact tracing, and calls for vaccine information interrupt those efforts.
Town-specific information will be provided on a rolling basis via BrooklineCOVID19.com.
Police and Firefighters Receive Initial Vaccine Doses, Congregate Care Residents Next in Line
The Town of Brookline began providing Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine to first responders this week.
Throughout the week, the Town of Brookline provided initial doses of COVID-19 vaccinations to members of the Brookline Police and Fire Departments, as well as other first responders.
Raw Video (Courtesy of Brookline Interactive Group):
Dr. Jett Discusses the COVID-19 Vaccine
Dr. Jett Receives the COVID-19 Vaccine
All qualified individuals who received initial doses this week will receive the required second dose of the vaccine at a later date. Starting next week, individuals living in congregate care settings — like nursing homes and long term care facilities — will be eligible to receive vaccinations as part of the continuation of Phase 1 of the vaccination effort.
The Town of Brookline is adhering to state guidelines related to the prioritization of groups, which are derived from priorities laid out by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Town’s emergency management team and Department of Public Health are working to identify those who qualify and are working aggressively to plan the distribution for groups as they become eligible.
How You Can Stay Informed About the Vaccination Effort:
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Town of Brookline are working to keep residents both informed about and engaged with the vaccination process, so that individuals can receive doses as they become eligible.
Visit mass.gov/covid-19-vaccine-in-massachusetts for general information, or BrooklineCOVID19.com for Brookline specific information (as it becomes available).
General information about the vaccine in Massachusetts, including key resources for determining eligibility and accessing shots is available online at mass.gov/covid-19-vaccine-in-massachusetts.
Additionally, the Town of Brookline has made answers to frequently asked questions available on its COVID-19 portal, which can be accessed directly by visiting BrooklineCOVID19.com/vaccineFAQ. The town will share Brookline specific information on BrooklineCOVID19.com as it becomes available.
Sign up for Alert Brookline Updates
Residents are strongly encouraged to register for the town’s Alert Brookline system in order to receive important updates, including those related to the COVID-19 vaccine. While Alert Brookline provides information about storms and other emergency alerts, it will also enable residents to remain up to date on critical vaccine information relevant to the town.
To sign up for alerts via phone and text message, click here.
Residents are encouraged to add the following numbers to their contacts to ensure they recognize when they are receiving an official alert call from the town:
General Updates – 855-969-4636
Emergency Alerts – 866-419-5000
Residents should not dial these numbers, which are only for automated outgoing calls for town related alerts.
Prominent Brookline Public Health Professionals on Front Line of Vaccine Effort to Join Panel Next Month
Residents are encouraged to take part in a virtual forum early next month that will serve as an opportunity to hear from local and state experts and learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as plans for how it will be distributed to Brookline residents.
WHEN:
Tuesday, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m.
WHERE:
Via Zoom. Visit brooklinema.gov/health to register
WHO:
- Lindsey Baden, Director of Clinical Research, Division of Infectious Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute
- Larry Madoff, Medical Director of the Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health
- Swannie Jett, Brookline Health Commissioner
- Natalia Linos, Executive Director of the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health
WHAT:
Brookline public health professionals who work at the forefront of COVID-19 vaccine activity in Massachusetts will participate in a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Natalia Linos, Executive Director of the FXB Center at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health and also a Brookline resident. The discussion will explore the status of the vaccines in Brookline and in the Commonwealth, including insight into their development and distribution methods.
Each panelist will lend their expertise as they discuss the latest news on vaccine development, how the vaccine will be distributed throughout the state and when certain groups of people will be eligible to be vaccinated.
“We are extremely lucky to count these experts in the field of public health and vaccines as members of our community, and I am grateful for the unique opportunity we have to bring them together to hear their insights on the vaccine effort in Massachusetts,” Dr. Jett said. “While the distribution of the vaccine statewide and in Brookline is an extremely complex and challenging effort, this event will help everyone better understand how it will work and I encourage everyone to attend.”
Lindsey Baden is the Director of Clinical Research for Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Dana Farber Cancer Institute’s Division of infectious Diseases, and is the principal investigator for the Moderna vaccine trials that led to approval of Moderna’s vaccine.
Larry Madoff will discuss the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s plan for distributing the vaccine throughout the Commonwealth. He is part of the COVID-19 leadership team at MDPH.
Dr. Jett will describe how administration of the COVID-19 vaccine will occur throughout Brookline.
For questions about the event, contact Lynne Karsten at lkarsten@brooklinema.gov.
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