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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — COVID-19 vaccination clinics scheduled on Northeastern University's Boston campus have been cancelled following the discovery of registrants' personal information being exposed by Pelmeds, a third-party vaccine provider.
In a statement shared with WBZ NewsRadio, Northeastern said that the information was present on Pelmeds' website. "As soon as the university became aware of this issue, we contacted Pelmeds and they immediately took action to rectify the situation," officials said. The letter sent to registrants of the clinics also said it is not known if data was accessed or viewed by anyone outside of Pelmeds or Northeastern.
Officials said that the information that was temporarily available was limited to what was submitted by clinic registrants, including name, date of birth, address, and any health insurance information.
"In light of this incident, Northeastern has decided not to move forward with Pelmeds and to cancel the December 14 and 16 vaccine booster clinics on the Boston campus. We understand that this is unexpected and we apologize for the inconvenience," Northeastern's statement read.
The letter went on to say that Northeastern officials are exploring options to provide vaccine booster shots on the Boston campus in the coming weeks. The university has not yet scheduled any clinics at the time of posting.
Read More: Multiple Colleges Requiring Students And Staff To Get Covid Booster Shots
This comes after Northeastern announced on Thursday that COVID-19 vaccine booster shots would be required for students, faculty, and staff with a deadline of January 18 or as soon as they become eligible. Northeastern was not the only school that mandated boosters, as multiple Greater Boston area schools like Boston University and Emerson College have made similar requirements.
The school recommended that registrants seek alternative options with local vaccine providers to receive their booster shot as soon as possible. Northeastern cited the Massachusetts Vaxfinder website and the Center for Disease Control's website as resources to get vaccinated.
WBZ NewsRadio reached out to Pelmeds for a comment, but have not yet received a response at the time of posting.
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