The island has received its largest weekly allocation of COVID-19 vaccine doses to date, Nantucket Cottage Hospital announced on Friday, roughly double the typical amount provided by the state. The entire allocation consists of Pfizer vaccine doses, according to the hospital. New vaccine appointments will open for booking online this morning at 10 a.m. Island health officials will be closely watching the pace at which appointments are booked today, after demand appeared to slow last week. During the first three months of vaccine distribution on the island, appointments got snapped up within hours, even minutes, of being posted online. But last weekend was different, as it took several days for all the appointments to get booked, prompting hospital officials to send out an alert to the community regarding vaccine availability. While it could have simply been the result of it being the final days of school vacation week, vaccine supply has outpaced demand in many communities across the country. Whether or not the trend continues on Nantucket, town and hospital officials are rolling out new initiatives to reach island residents who may be experiencing barriers to access, whether they be language, technology, or the fact that they are unable to leave work to get to the VFW clinic. Nantucket Cottage Hospital is urging island employers that are interested in having their employees vaccinated as a group, possibly at their place of business, to e-mail NCHVax@partners.org for more information on the new program. Click here to book your appointment starting at 10 a.m. this morning.
NANTUCKET CURRENT: ISLAND VACCINE ALLOCATION DOUBLED
