Teenagers in some of Massachusetts' hardest hit communities in the coronavirus pandemic are among the least vaccinated.
The Boston Globe reports that an analysis by Alan Geller, a researcher at Harvard’s School of Public Health, found that nearly all of the 42 cities and towns with the state’s highest infection rates have teen vaccination rates far lower than the state average for teens.
In New Bedford, Holyoke and Springfield, for example, less than 40% of 12 to 15-year-olds received their first COVID-19 shot by Sept. 2. In Boston, less than half of teens aged 16 to 19 received at least one dose.
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Geller said the numbers suggest it will be challenging to vaccinate even younger children, who are not yet authorized to receive the shots.
“Unfortunately, this may be a barometer of where we will go,” he told the Globe.
