Massachusetts' first mass vaccination site north of Boston, opened Wednesday at the DoubleTree Hotel in Danvers.
Joanne O’Brien, a 93-year-old from Winthrop, was one of the first to get her vaccine there. She said she has “six great grandchildren and I really enjoy them so I want to keep myself healthy.”
Her daughter Susan O’Brien helped book her mom’s appointment.
“It’s been a long year, she’s the rock,” she said, crying happy tears. “Just be able to see everybody, there’s some light at the end of this.”
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Right now the site, run by the state with Curative, is administering about 400 to 500 vaccines a day. Appointments were necessary when the site opened.
Eventually, administrators hope to ramp up to 3,000 vaccines a day.
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Dr. Sly Douglas, the director of operations for the northeast branch of Curative, said about the vaccine administrators, “These are local folk, local nurses, local staff living in the area vaccinating local people.”
“You get to see your grandkids again and live your life the way to should be lived,” said Tony Gigante, who received the vaccine Wednesday.
Fern Creeden said she looks forward to going out to eat again and going to the grocery store of her choice.
Her daughter works for Pfizer and actually helped support the group that made her vaccine.
“I had tears in my eyes. I took a picture,” Julie Manseau said.
