State, fed funds fuel area virus fight

Even though nearly 1.5 million Massachusetts residents have been fully vaccinated, there are still stubborn pockets where the coronavirus poses an aboveaverage risk of infection.

That’s supported by the town-by-town coronavirus data released on April 1 that showed 55 communities in the high-risk red zone, up from 32 the previous week and 20 the week before.

That’s why the state launched an outreach campaign this week in the 20 most vulnerable communities — including Fitchburg, Leominster and Lowell — aimed at boosting access to the COVID-19 vaccine and addressing any hesitation among susceptible populations.

Gov. Charlie Baker said his administration will make $4.7 million available to these cities and towns from a pool of $20 million in funding his office had pledged to support them.

The state’s initiative adds to the Covid-fighting resources Lowell has already secured.

Lowell Community Health Center recently learned it was invited to join the federal Community Health Center Vaccination Program, which provides additional vaccine funding, separate from state allocations, for traditionally underserved communities. The health center, which has been administering about 700 state-allocated vaccinations a week, will now be able to order another 1,000 weekly doses under this federal program.

And that’s in addition to Lowell’s highly successful regional vaccination hub run by Lowell General Hospital at Cross River Center on Pawtucket Boulevard.

It’s encouraging to see state and federal funds targeting the virus-complicated needs of Gateway Cities of Fitchburg, Leominster and Lowell.