As Massachusetts continues Phase 2 of the COVID-19 vaccination roll out, we know our Fenway Health community understandably has many questions. To help clear up any confusion, we’d like to give an update on where vaccinations currently stand at Fenway and what our patients can expect in the coming weeks.
We are now able to vaccinate eligible patients by appointment only at both 1340 Boylston Street and Fenway: South End.
The following people are currently eligible for COVID-19 vaccination in Massachusetts, according to MDPH guidelines:
→ Phase 1: Health care workers, long term care inhabitants, first responders, and people in congregate care settings
→ Phase 2, Group 1: Patients aged 75 years old and older
→ Phase 2, Group 2, which includes:
Patients aged 65 years old and older
Patients who are 16 and over with 2+ qualifying medical conditions
Patients who live in low income or affordable senior housing
→ Caregivers: Fenway Health is not able to accommodate caregivers at this time. However, the mass vaccination sites are. Click here for more information.
We are asking our patients to please not call Fenway Health to make a vaccination appointment unless we have contacted you by phone, email, or text asking you to do so. We also ask that you please do not show up to a vaccination clinic if you do not have an appointment.
Our Patient Services team is working hard to reach out to patients who are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination through email, phone calls and text messages. We are scheduling these vaccine appointments based on both the state’s eligibility criteria and our supply of vaccine received from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH).
Our partner hospital, Beth Israel Lahey Health (BILH), has secured additional vaccine supply from the state and has restarted their outreach efforts to BILH patients including Fenway Health patients. BILH may contact Fenway Health patients who are currently eligible for vaccine and we encourage you to schedule a vaccination appointment with BILH if you are contacted by them.
Fenway patients and clients who are currently eligible for vaccine are strongly encouraged to use the MDPH vaxfinder tool, or call 211, to secure vaccination appointments elsewhere. We only receive several hundred vaccines each week, which means that many Fenway patients and clients will need to get vaccinated at outside sites such as the mass vaccination facilities, regional vaccination collaboratives, or a local pharmacy.
We will continue to follow MDPH guidelines as we expand our vaccination efforts to other patient populations.
So far, MDPH has provided us with the Moderna vaccine, which is reported to be 94–95% effective in preventing serious illness from COVID-19 after receiving two doses of the same vaccine at the recommended intervals.
We will provide updates on vaccinations at Fenway Health as we receive new MDPH guidance. For the latest info, please visit our COVID-19 vaccine information page and our Facebook and Twitter. Please check for phone calls, text messages, and emails from us as more patients become eligible for vaccination in the coming weeks.
Thank you all for your patience as we navigate these unprecedented times together.