Less than half in MetroWest, Greater Milford have gotten a COVID-19 booster

Abby Patkin, MetroWest Daily News
·2 min read

Less than half of MetroWest and Greater Milford residents have gotten a COVID-19 booster, according to the latest data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

DPH data released last Thursday shows an average of 46% of area residents have received booster vaccinations, based on a municipal breakdown reporting individual community rates. Sherborn and Dover had the highest booster rates, at 59%, and Bellingham had the lowest, at 28%.

Larger communities such as Framingham and Milford reported 35% and 34% booster rates, respectively.

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By comparison, 2,570,643 people in Massachusetts had received a booster dose as of last Friday, accounting for about half of the 5,172,580 fully vaccinated people in the state.

The COVID-19 vaccine is drawn from a vial during an outdoor clinic at the Davis Thayer Elementary School in Franklin, Aug. 25, 2021.
The COVID-19 vaccine is drawn from a vial during an outdoor clinic at the Davis Thayer Elementary School in Franklin, Aug. 25, 2021.

Why does it matter?

Research has suggested that immunity to COVID-19 from vaccines declines over time, making boosters an integral public health strategy to reduce community spread and avoid overburdening the health care system.

More: Middlesex County's COVID cases fall 28%; Massachusetts cases plummet 25%

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday that booster shots of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are highly effective at preventing hospitalizations from the omicron variant.

The boosters were 90% effective at avoiding COVID-19 related hospitalization during the omicron variant’s surge, as well as 82% effective at preventing emergency department and urgent care visits, according to the data.

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As cases surged in recent weeks, local hospitals and medical centers neared or reached critical capacity, pleading with the community to get vaccinated and take other mitigation measures to avoid adding to the strain.

Who should get one?

The CDC recommends booster shots for those who:

  • Are 12 and older and received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine at least five months ago.

  • Are 18 and older and received both doses of the Moderna vaccine at least five months ago.

  • Are 18 and older and received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago.

Booking a booster

Community members can find booster appointments online by visiting vaxfinder.mass.gov, or by calling the state’s COVID-19 Vaccine Resource Line at 211. The line is open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Abby Patkin is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. Follow Abby on Twitter @AMPatkin. She can be reached at apatkin@wickedlocal.com.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: COVID-19 boosters: MetroWest vaccination rates hover around 46%