BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Hundreds of people turned up to a clinic at the DoubleTree Hotel in Danvers Wednesday, after they caught wind of some spare COVID-19 vaccines.
It started as an orderly event with Gov. Charlie Baker, who announced two new mass COVID-19 vaccination sites opening soon, and tens of thousands of new appointments that will become available starting Thursday.
Read More: New Vaccine Appointments, Two More Vaccination Sites To Open In Mass.
People over the age of 75 started arriving for their appointments at the DoubleTree clinic Wednesday to get a coronavirus shot.
Then, the clinic told patients to call and text others they knew who weren't vaccinated yet, because they had extra doses of the vaccine available. So, people came.
The vaccination site quickly became flooded with hundreds of people trying to get an unscheduled vaccination.
Two blindsided police officers who were on duty at the clinic suddenly found themselves sorting through who did and did not have vaccine appointments, as they dealt with significant traffic backups.
Meanwhile, elderly people with canes, walkers and wheelchairs found themselves at the back of a line of hundreds.
Although many people refused to leave because they believed they could get the vaccine if they stayed, the state later clarified that everyone must have an appointment for any vaccination site.
WBZ NewsRadio's Karyn Regal reports:
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Written by Brit Smith
(Photo: Karyn Regal/Twitter)