Mad dash over early for vaccine appointments
Early birds grabbed coronavirus vaccine appointments Thursday before most others rubbed the sleep from their eyes.
The mad dash ended at 7:10 a.m. when Mass.gov tweeted that all the open slots at Fenway Park, Gillette Stadium and the Reggie Lewis Center were gone.
A few short hours later CVS also said it was booked.
“They went fast,” Gov. Charlie Baker said, adding that the supply from the federal government has yet to meet the demand.
“I think it’s unfair that I can’t currently vaccinate everyone in Massachusetts who wants to get vaccinated, but it’s a fact,” Baker said. “Until there’s more vaccine, we’re going to be playing this waiting game.”
Around 12,000 new appointments at mass vaccination sites for next week were posted and booked quickly with the system placing early risers in a waiting room before letting them sign up for shots.
Baker said the number of new first-dose appointments posted online Thursday was “lower than usual” because slots were taken up by people needing to return for their second doses and because about 13,000 appointments were booked through the state’s call center. He said about 70% of shots at mass vaccination sites next week are going to be second doses.
The CVS site — tantalizingly — listed openings in stores in Boston, Braintree, Cambridge, Chelsea, East Boston, East Falmouth, Fall River, Lynn and out west to Worcester early on. But most vaccine hunters were parked in a waiting room or once let in, all the slots were taken — for now.
Some people have been getting through, however, according to social media posts. CVS posted around noon: “At this time, all appointments in Massachusetts are booked. We’ll add more as they become available. Please check back later.”
The fierce competition comes after CVS announced Wednesday that Massachusetts teachers are now eligible for the coronavirus vaccination. Baker added hours later educators can book appointments on the state site beginning March 11.
The result is another week of waiting.