The state senator says the rollout of Baker’s vaccine is leaving Cape Cod behind

Barnstable County in Cape Cod has the oldest population in Massachusetts; However, as the state is prioritizing high-risk seniors in introducing the COVID-19 vaccine, Senator Julian Cyr says the Cape is “lagging behind.

Cyr, who represents most of the Cape and Islands, said in a conference call on Thursday that the disproportionately elderly and geographically isolated region is under-served by vaccination sites and doses, even as Gov. Charlie Baker ramps up efforts to keep people in the very vulnerable. to get. 75 year old age group vaccinated.

“I’m frustrated, disappointed, and quite frankly quite furious,” said the Truro Democrat during the Cape Cod COVID-19 Response Task Force’s call.

Cyr pointed to the lack of a mass vaccination site on Cape Cod, as well as what he said was insufficient distribution of vaccine doses to Barnstable County by the Baker government. While the Republican governor announced this week that more than 100,000 new appointments would become available at mass vaccination sites and pharmacies across the state, Cyr said there were only 1,300 on the Cape.

“They were full within 29 minutes,” he said.

“I keep hearing reports that there are thousands upon thousands of appointments available in any given week at Gillette,” Cyr said, referring to one of the state’s five massive vaccination centers. “To me that indicates that where the vaccines are made available is actually not accessible to the people who need them.”

According to Cyr, Barnstable County has about double the number of residents aged 75 and older: 12.7 percent of the population, compared to 6.7 percent statewide. According to census figures, 31.4 percent of the population is over the age of 65, a group next in line with the state’s rollout of the vaccine. Statewide, 17 percent of the population is over 65.

Yet, in raw numbers, Barnstable County has tens of thousands fewer people over the age of 65 compared to significantly more populous counties such as Middlesex, Suffollk and Worcester. The county is currently in the middle of the group in terms of infections per capita, compared to other Massachusetts counties.

The call came Thursday after Baker announced plans on Wednesday to establish two additional mass vaccination sites in Natick and Dartmouth, as well as a policy that would allow younger individuals accompanying people over 75 to appointments at a mass vaccination site. .

While the Cape has at least 10 small vaccination sites at pharmacies and other locations, Baker’s government has promoted the efficiency and scale of mass vaccination centers, each of which will increase to administer thousands of doses per day. Cyr said there had been private discussions between the Baker government and local stakeholders about further expanding access to vaccines on the Cape, including a possible mass vaccination site at Cape Cod Community College.

“That didn’t happen,” he said.

Baker originally said the state planned to establish a total of seven massive vaccination centers, but recently suggested the state could open more as the rollout continues.

If the region does not receive a mass vaccination site, Cyr urged Baker’s government to distribute doses to local health authorities, which must already have the infrastructure to set up vaccine sites. So far, he said only two of the county’s 15 health councils had received a dose.

“Logistically, we are ready to vaccinate people,” Wendy Northcross, the CEO of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, said on the call. ‘We just need more vaccine. We understand that there is a supply restriction. But we are ready. “

Cyr said he was confident that local health authorities could “fill the gap” in the absence of the mass vaccination site, but that there was currently a palpable “annoyance” among local officials and residents.

“We are actually the third oldest province in the country,” he said. “So now, at this stage of the vaccination, this is when we have the pinnacle of our need.”