East Greenwich will receive an additional 150 doses; vaccine info for homebound

Town Manager Andy Nota announced Friday the state was giving East Greenwich 150 extra doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, which will allow more residents 75 and older to get vaccinated locally, at the town’s clinic at Swift Community Center. This is in addition to the 360 doses over four weeks the town is in the middle of distributing.

Town officials are working on a distribution plan for those extra doses, Nota said in an email. 

“This allotment is strategically dedicated to our 75+ population as statewide clinics open up for 65+ simultaneously – municipalities feel strongly that this partnership and complimentary approach will best serve our local populations,” said Nota. “The 150 was a per capita distribution amongst those cities/towns that have vaccination sites already established.”

With the frequent vaccine updates and changes, it’s understandable that some people are confused about where they should be seeking the vaccine – at the town level, at a CVS or Walgreens, or at the state sites. The state Department of Health (RIDOH) has developed a sheet explaining the different vaccination avenues (see bottom or click here: Paths to COVID Vaccination). It also provides a list of vaccine contact info for every Rhode Island city and town.

Nota said the town clinic is targeting those 75 and older. Vaccine appointments are opening up at the state’s vaccination sites and retail pharmacies on Monday (2/22) for Rhode Islanders 65 and older. Nota said the town would not be a place for those people to look for a vaccine appointment. 

Following the town’s protocol, a resident needs to be registered with the town (if you are 65 or older, you can register HERE). The town then calls residents to book appointments as doses become available. 

Alternatively, if you want an appointment at a pharmacy or at one of the statewide sites, you must make the appointment (for yourself or a loved one), either online or via phone. 

• To make an appointment through the state, go to vaccinateRI.org.
• To make an appointment at CVS, do not call your local store. Go to www.cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccine.
• To make an appointment at Walgreens, do not call your local store. Go HERE.

The state Dept. of Health announced plans Thursday to work with cities and towns to identify those residents who want the vaccine but are unable to leave home. If you or a loved one wants to get vaccinated, make sure the state knows about you by filling out this form: http://bit.ly/homeboundvax. This is NOT a form for a vaccine appointment – rather, like the town registry list, it is a list to make sure those who are homebound get the vaccine as they become eligible. (The form can also be filled out by a healthcare provider or family caregiver of someone who is homebound.)

To be clear, vaccinations continue to be dictated by age, but according to the state’s timeline those 64 and younger with qualifying underlying conditions – homebound or not – will start being able to get the vaccine by mid-March.

Top photo by Steven Cornfield on Unsplash.