HINGHAM — The Hingham Health Department is pleased to report that first responders in the Town of Hingham received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination this week.
On Tuesday and Thursday, Jan. 12 and 14, Hingham paramedics administered the vaccine to members of the Hingham Police Department, Hingham Fire Department, and regional 911 dispatchers during clinics held at the Hingham Senior Center.
“Our first responders have been on the front lines responding to emergencies and keeping our community safe since the onset of this pandemic, and we are pleased to have been able to provide this vaccination to them this week,” said Executive Health Officer Susan Sarni. “This is a major step forward in our efforts to further combat the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Town will continue to do its part to help stop the spread of the virus as additional vaccines become available to a wider portion of the general public.”
The Hingham Health Department is one of approximately 115 organizations statewide approved to distribute vaccinations to public safety personnel as part of Phase 1 of the state’s COVID-19 vaccination distribution plan.
Vaccination Distribution
The COVID-19 vaccination is not available to the general public at this time. The Town of Hingham wishes to share the following information about the state’s distribution plan for the vaccine over the coming months. For an in-depth explanation of who falls into each category, click here.
Phase 1 (December 2020 to February 2021)
- Clinical and non-clinical health care workers doing direct and COVID-facing care
- Long term care facilities, rest homes and assisted living facilities
- Emergency medical services, police, and fire
- Congregate care settings
- Home-based health care workers
- Health care workers doing non-COVID-facing care
Individuals who do not come into contact with patients (e.g., back office, remote work, administrative staff who do not come into contact with patients, laboratory researchers who do not come into contact with patients) are not prioritized in Phase 1 and should be prioritized in Phase 2 or Phase 3 depending on each individual’s age, comorbidity status, or other worker category.
Phase 2 (February to March 2021)
- Individuals with 2+ co-morbidities (high risk for COVID-19 complications), individuals age 75+, and residents and staff of public and private low-income and affordable senior housing
- Other workers, including:
- Early education, K-12, transit, grocery, utility, food and agriculture, restaurant and cafe workers
- Employees across the food, beverages, agriculture, consumer goods, retail, and foodservice sectors
- Meatpackers
- Sanitation, public works, and public health workers
- Vaccine development workers
- Food pantry workers
- Transit/Transportation: Uber/Lyft/ride share services/pharmacy delivery drivers (under transit/transportation workers), workers in the passenger ground transportation industry (e.g. paratransit for people with Disabilities, food delivery, non-urgent medical transport,) Massport workers other than police
- Convenience store workers (under grocery workers)
- Water and wastewater utility staff
- Court system workers (judges, prosecutors, defense attorney, clerks), other than court officers who are listed under first responders
- Medical supply chain workers
- Funeral directors and funeral workers
- Shipping port and terminal workers
- Adults 65 years old and older
- Individuals with one co-morbid condition
Phase 3 (Starting April 2021)
The vaccine is expected to be available to the general public, including:
- Higher education workers, including administrators, teaching and non-teaching staff
- Bottled beverage industry workers
- Veterinarians
Once the vaccine is available to the general public, public vaccine clinics will be available on the CDC’s interactive website: vaccinefinder.org. You will also be able to check with your primary care provider, local pharmacy, or local health department.
Stay Informed
For more information about the state of Massachusetts’ timeline for vaccine distribution, click here. For more information about COVID-19 vaccines in general, visit the CDC’s website here and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health website here.
To view the Town of Hingham’s COVID-19 dashboard and information page, click here.
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