BOSTON (WHDH) - The Hynes Convention Center in Boston will see a boost in COVID-19 vaccine doses this week thanks to a partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The federal agency will allocate 6,000 doses a day to the site, for a total of 7,000 doses per day when combined with the state’s current allocation, the Baker-Polito Administration announced Friday.
A portion of the federal doses will be designated for mobile units in Chelsea, Revere, and Boston.
The Community Vaccination Center program will be open to the public, with additional services available for the most disproportionately impacted communities in Suffolk County, starting Wednesday.
FEMA and its federal partners will provide support through staffing, operations, logistics, and vaccine allocations over eight weeks.
Even with the additional vaccines coming to the convention center, Gov. Charlie Baker says supply continues to remain a big challenge.
“The feds are continuing to build their channels, and we now have here in Massachusetts far more capacity than we have supply,” he said. “I would love to see the two of those things align.”
The federal government is anticipating another big delivery of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, with at least 11 million doses expected to be delivered this week.
Baker touted this vaccine as a key piece in the arsenal against COVID-19.
“I’m especially anxious to see a lot more of the J & J vaccine because it’s a single dose and it doesn’t require all the same issues around storage and prep and management that Pfizer and Moderna do,” he said.
Additions are expected soon to the state’s pre-registration website.
Currently, the site only includes shot appointments available at the state’s seven mass vaccination sites but soon the governor says more vaccine locations will be added.
The state is also launching a vaccine program for homebound residents Monday, with about 25,000 people expected to be vaccinated through this program.
Those who believe they need an in-home vaccination can call the Homebound Vaccination Central Intake Line at (833) 983-0485.
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