Massachusetts

Massachusetts Vax Bus Rolls on Amid Concern Over Delta's Spread

More than 80% of adults in Massachusetts have gotten at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine

NBC 5 News

A mobile coronavirus vaccination clinic is working its way through Massachusetts, one arm at a time.

The so-called Vax Bus had scheduled stops in Brockton Sunday and Monday. It was in Revere on Saturday. The shots are administered on the bus, and no appointment is needed.

State officials say the two buses that make up the Vax Bus fleet will spend a day or two in nearly two dozen communities, including Attleboro, Provincetown, Pittsfield, Springfield and Fall River, before finishing its tour next month.

More than 80% of adults in Massachusetts have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine and more than 4 million residents are fully vaccinated, according to state officials.

The state's push for more people to get vaccinated comes as cases of the highly contagious delta variant sweep across Massachusetts. First identified in India and now in over 100 countries, the variant is approximately 60% more transmissible and could result in more severe disease. Massachusetts officials estimate it will soon become the dominant strain in the Bay State.

While the current coronavirus vaccines appear to protect most against the delta variant, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert, said over the weekend that “it is entirely conceivable, maybe likely” that Americans will need a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in the coming months to fight off variants.

The full Vax Bus schedule can be found at: mass.gov/VaxBus

The latest CDC data shows that the Delta variant is now the dominant coronavirus strain in the U.S.
AP/Staff
Contact Us