COVID Vaccinations 75+
Update 1/29/2021

Good morning. Day two of scheduling has passed. The results? Our volunteers have been able to schedule five appointments and our residents have reported back scheduling some on their own as well. Most of the appointments scheduled have been at Fenway, Gillette, and Roxbury Stadium.

The good news? We know more appointments will be opening each day and more pharmacies will start coming online soon. We have recruited and trained another seven volunteers, bringing our current numbers to 15! So as appointments do start opening, we will be able to start making progress.

Please keep in mind that the information is constantly shifting and new appointments are and will open, it will just take time. If you are calling to request assistance from our office, please note that while we endeavor to answer every call, we have four people in the office answering phones, so if your call is not answered on your first try, please hang up after about 10 rings and give us a try again a little later. You can also email us at coa@wellesleyma.gov.

In order to be as comprehensive as possible with these messages, all the details from the day before are included as well. The sections that have been updated are highlighted in this green background. We hope our residents find this helpful and informative.

Which site can I use to find an appointment?

There are two different sites that you can use: the first is the statewide map which can be found here; the second is the state’s central scheduling tool Prep Mod, found here. The map includes every place in the state that offers vaccines. It is extremely cumbersome and includes places that are not currently on Phase II, places that are only for residents of particular Towns, and a myriad of independent locations such as pharmacies and healthcare facilities offering the vaccine. Prep Mod is a much easier to use tool, but it only shows local run clinics.

With the map, even when you pull up the location you still have to go to a separate website and navigate to find out if there are any openings. The state has a word document that compiles all locations with the details of who they are serving, their website, and their registration processes here, in the center of the page under downloadable list.

Who has available appointments this morning?

As of 7 am this morning, there were no clear openings on Prep Mod or any of the pharmacy websites. We will work with volunteers to monitor openings and will send out a message when we start seeing appointments available.

What are we using for tools?

At the Wellesley COA, we have a dozen volunteers who are working on the best way to help our seniors land appointments. While we are still looking like everyone else to find openings, we have learned a few things during the first day.

Firstly, we have given up on the map, instead we spend time on PrepMod and a separate spreadsheet that we are working keep updated daily with the locations nearby, that our residents would most likely be willing to travel to, along with any notes for those destinations. Secondly, we are trying to keep track of websites that are easier to navigate. Although we have yet to be successful, we are using the following:

Boston: South Boston Cs2ommunity Health Center

Hannaford
Middleborough
Uxbridge
Waltham

Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates-Atrius Health
Needham

Holtzman Medical Group at Mt. Ida Campus (UMass Amherst)
Newton

Mass Vaccination Site: Gillette Stadium
Foxborough

Pharmacy - CVS
Newton
Revere
Wayland

Pharmacy - Walgreens
Saugus
**Requires online account

Pharmacy - Wegmans
Chestnut Hill
Northborough
Westwood

State Wide - Prep Mod

Southbridge Community Center/Harrington Hospital

Umass Campus
Marlborough

Umass Campus
Worcester

Webster: InterMed Associates at Webster Medical Center

When are new appointments being posted/opened?

It is our understanding that appointments are being added regularly and get posted at different days and times depending on the host site, municipality/hospital/mass site/pharmacy. We do not have an understanding of the trends as of yet. It is our current understanding that many locations will only post a weeks' appointments at any time as they hold off on posting until they receive confirmation from the state that they will in fact receive vaccinations and the number they can expect. That may explain why we are only seeing a few days in February at this time.

Is my health network offering vaccinations to their patients?

Maybe. Some of us have noticed when we have logged into our accounts through Mass General-Brigham or others, that there is a notice to patients that sometime in the near future they will be reaching out to all of their patients over the age of 75 to provide vaccinations. This may be of help to some who are involved in these systems as time goes.

What problems have we seen, or do we anticipate running into?

Yesterday, we had some residents and volunteers tell us that were running into in issue on Prep Mod with insurance, where the system asked for the information and them prompted them to add a copy of their card. Residents and volunteers have been able to navigate around that by entering the info and skipping the add insurance piece, and were still able to register.

Some locations, such as Walgreens require one to have an online account to register. Some locations require an email address before proceeding. No two of these links are the same or require the “same” information which can be very challenging and confusing.

On Prep Mod, I went through the process and then I saw that there was no appointment available and I had to start over.

One of the things residents reported yesterday was going through the entire process on Prep Mod and then seeing that there were no appointments available (see image above to the right). When you search the Prep Mod system it will show you all locations offering a vaccination program on the day you selected. You may be able to select the blue registration button regardless of whether there are any open spaces.

Please look closely at two places: Additional Information and Available Appointments. Additional information will tell you who is eligible for a vaccination at that location, you are looking for it to say "Phase 2....age 75 or older" and not have any restrictions on where you live, some are only for residents in certain towns.

Next, look at the Available Appointments section and make sure the number is above 0. This can be very frustrating, because intuitively we think that if the location shows that means it is open for us to sign up, but that may not be the case.

Are there vaccinations available in Wellesley?

As of today, there are not currently any locations in Wellesley where someone over the age of 75 can get a vaccine. The Board of Health is working to collaborate with the State to be able to open a clinic in Town over the next few weeks. We will provide further updates when we know of any locations in Town.

I am homebound. How can I get a vaccine?

This is a great question and we have been staying in close contact with the Board of Health daily to stay in the loop with any updates. As of first thing this morning, we do not have an answer yet, however, we will continue meeting with the Board of Health and they will continue to work with the State to get an answer. We will update everyone when we know more.

I am a Veteran, is there another way to get a vaccine appointment?

We were originally sending folks the direction of Nancy, our Veteran's Service agent. We have since been advised that while Nancy is not the most direct contact for these appointments. The VA is reaching out directly to all veterans enrolled in the VA Healthcare System. If you meet specific VA criteria, you may be eligible to receive the vaccine from the VA. The West Suburban Veterans' Service office does not make appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine. To enroll in the VA Healthcare System, or ask questions, please call 877-222-VETS (8387).

Is there a cost and do I have to have insurance?

There is no cost for a vaccination. If you do not have insurance, when you sign up for an appointment online, there should be a box/section to select that says no insurance.

I need an Attestation form, and cannot print myself.

We will have blank attestation forms outside our front door at our office, 500 Washington Street, available for anyone to pick up from 9am - 4pm Monday- Friday.

How to stay informed?

We will continue to send out information as it becomes available. We will continue to work with our volunteers to reach out to any seniors who have asked for assistance. We will stay positive and keep working to navigate the system to get everyone involved.

When can I expect to hear from a volunteer?

We have received a large number (over 200) requests for assistance with registration. As of this morning, we have around 15 volunteers who will be up and running and working down our list. The current holdup is that there have not been many appointments available, and those that have been available have been at the mass vaccination sites such as Fenway, Gillette, and Roxbury. We recognize that not all of our residents are willing and or able to travel and/or go to a large site. As a result of limited appointments, are progress with return calls from volunteers is slower. We will get to everyone, it will likely take us well into next week to catch up.

Would you like a volunteer to reach out?

Please keep in mind that it may be a several days before you hear from a volunteer, but if you would like to be added to the list for assistance, please email use at coa@wellesleyma.gov or call us at (781) 235-3961.

I get this. Can I volunteer to help?

Yes. If you are able to navigate the computer system and would like to help those who cannot or need assistance, please contact our office and our Volunteer Coordinator can get you signed up and trained. Email us here.

Wellesley Council on Aging

781-235-3961

500 Washington St.
Wellesley, MA 02482

Please do not reply to this e-mail. For additional information please call the COA at 781-235-3961 or visit our website at www.wellesleycoa.org

COVID Vaccinations 75+Update 1/29/2021