AMID GROWING frustration with the state’s process for arranging COVID-19 vaccination appointments, Gov. Charlie Baker announced Thursday that his administration intends to set up a call center next week for those who need additional help.
On Wednesday, people 75 and over who are not living in nursing homes or assisted living facilities started making appointments for vaccinations. Baker said 45,000 appointments were made over the last two days but the demand far outpaced supply. An estimated 500,000 people over 75 are eligible to obtain the two-dose vaccination, but he said the state has been receiving only 80,000 doses a week, a number bumping up to 100,000 next week.
Many were unable to make an appointment because the slots were already filled, and others were frustrated with the two-step process, which required them to go to a state website where they could look up facilities near them that are offering the vaccine and then go to a website for that facility to actually sign up for a shot.
“It was a very frustrating day, we know that,” Baker said at a press conference in Plymouth. “There are far more people eligible to get vaccines than there are vaccines available.” As of Thursday evening, 728,400 doses have been shipped to Massachusetts so far, and 496,103 of those went into the arms of residents.
Baker said the vaccination call center should help those struggling with the process. “People have said we need some sort of call center that people who can’t use the online system can access. We agree with that,” he said. “The phone piece is a thing I would have liked to have had ready and we will soon. And I know it’ll make a big difference for people.”
Among those frustrated with the rollout is Sen. Anne Gobi of Spencer, who publicized a letter sent to Baker urging him to create a 1-800 number before Phase 2 of vaccinations begin on Monday. The letter has over 85 signatories.
Sen. Eric Lesser of Longmeadow filed a bill Thursday that would create a one-stop, online sign-up for COVID-19 vaccinations for both desktop and mobile registration, and require a 24/7 hotline in multiple languages.
Lesser said in the hours since the filing, he has “been inundated with co-sponsorship requests from legislators from every corner of the state from both parties.” States like West Virginia, New Hampshire, and New Mexico already have these centralized scheduling systems.
Baker said people unable to find a vaccination appointment should keep trying. He said the mass vaccination sites will release appointment times every Thursday for the following week, while smaller facilities will release appointments on a more varied schedule.
On Thursday morning, Gillette Stadium and Fenway Park posted 20,000 new spots for February 1-7 and those went quickly, while similar mass vaccination sites at Springfield’s Eastfield Mall and the DoubleTree Hotel in Danvers added 15,000. Three other mass vaccination sites are expected to be added in the near future, Baker said.
Baker did not release additional details about the call center, only saying that the state has already successfully set up call centers for other coronavirus related issues.
Lesser said he was encouraged by Baker’s announcement, but he urged Baker to consider a centralized online portal for vaccines, much the way websites like Travelocity or Kayak book travel. “He’s been asked about it multiple times and declined, demurred, and yesterday was outright dismissive about the fact that the system is cumbersome and hard to use,” Lesser said in a phone interview.
Not everyone has had a bad experience with signing up. Colman Herman, a freelance writer who often reports for CommonWealth, said he received an email from Beth Israel Lahey Health on Thursday morning encouraging him to make an appointment. He clicked on the link, selected a location and time, and signed out. He received a confirmation email shortly afterward.
“It literally took a minute,” he said.
