BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — At a COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday, Gov. Charlie Baker said the mass vaccination site at Hynes Convention Center would receive 42,000 doses from the federal government this week.
The site can usually vaccinate 1,000 people a day, but with the extra doses, Gov. Baker says the site will be able to give out 7,000 vaccinations a day this week.
The expanded capacity will kick in on Wednesday.
The Hynes site is receiving the doses courtesy of a new pilot program by FEMA and the White House. Gov. Baker thanked both the Biden-Harris Administration and FEMA for designating Boston as one of the program's pilot sites.
Baker also thanked the Massachusetts congressional delegation for pushing for the expanded vaccine doses at the site.
The state has seen an increase in COVID-19 cases in the last week, with case numbers the state has not seen since February.
The governor appeared with Center for Disease Control Director Rochelle Walensky.
Walensky said she spoke to state governors Tuesday morning and urged them to keep the mask mandates in their states in effect. "I would ask that citizens to mask regardless of the mandate," for states that don't have a mask mandate, she said.
WBZ's Shari Small (@ShariSmallNews) reports:
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