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Homeless people in Boston are expected to start receiving coronavirus vaccines within days.
The first shipment of vaccines for the city’s homeless community will be 100 doses developed by Cambridge-based Moderna, according to Dr Jim O’Connell, chair of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, which will administer the vaccines.
O’Connell says he’s confident in the organization’s chances of getting a large percentage of the community vaccinated, given its long history of administering single-dose vaccines for other diseases, such as meningococcal disease.
“We were lucky to make the homeless people living in shelters trust us enough to get the vaccine. But it has always been with a single dose,” O’Connell said, “The challenge for us now i think is gonna be … once they get the first shot make sure 28 days later or so we can find them and they are still ready to have a second shot. “
Priority for the first vaccines will go to people with the most underlying health risks in the most overcrowded shelters, according to O’Connell.
“We have incorporated a really interesting tool that deals with fairness and other situations, but which mainly focuses on the most vulnerable people, the most likely to die if they contract the virus,” he said. , adding that once the vaccine administration process streamlines and becomes faster, he expects them to start arriving in larger batches.
The Boston Health Care for the Homeless program plans to vaccinate between 5,000 and 8,000 adults in shelters that serve individuals and families.
Lyndia Downie, president and CEO of the Pine Street Inn homeless shelter and shelter organization, said some shelter clients have inquired about possible side effects of the vaccine, but most seem relieved that the vaccine will be available soon.
“I think for a lot of guests there is so much anxiety that comes with being homeless,” Downie said. “To add COVID to all of this anxiety, I think it’s been really, really stressful for people. … And I think the fact that we can take a little bit of stress out and say to people, ‘The vaccine is coming, I hope next month or two you get on the list,’ I just think that people will thank you for it. “
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