Gov. Charlie Baker appeared at one of Mattapan's largest churches on Monday to tour a new community-focused COVID-19 vaccination center and to assure the public that the new vaccine from Johnson & Johnson will be as effective as the ones already in use.
"Sites like this are a great example of how we can keep the focus on equity and support the communities that have been most impacted by the virus," Baker said.
Baker appeared alongside Bishop John M. Borders of Morningstar Baptist Church, on Blue Hill Ave, and Rep. Russell Holmes, D-Mattapan, to tout his administration's efforts to reach out to communities of color and individuals who may have trouble accessing the vaccines or may be hesitant to get the shot.
"This is the Blackest neighborhood in the Commonwealth," Holmes said, adding that his constituents are 92% people of color. Holmes said many of the people he represents want to access the vaccine from institutions like local health centers and churches.
"We need cornerstones of our district like Morningstar to do that," Holmes said.
Federal authorities have granted emergency approval to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which requires only one dose and doesn't need to be stored in a deep freeze before use. Baker expects the first doses of the new vaccine to come to Massachusetts next week.
"If you have a vaccine that literally can travel and can travel under normal circumstances, you can just use it in a lot more settings that are not really built or structured to deal with some of the complexities associated with managing a vaccine that requires a deep freeze," Baker said. The governor said the new vaccine could be used in mobile vaccination centers or sent to harder-to-reach areas.
Baker was adamant that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which has been found to be 85% effective in preventing severe COVID-19, should be seen as just as safe and effective as the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines already in use.
"These are all completely effective against hospitalization and death," Baker said, paraphrasing White House advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci.
"All three of them work, and people really need to keep that in mind," Baker added.
