Cambridge will likely be handing out $75 debit playing cards at an upcoming COVID vaccine clinic within the hopes of boosting the town’s vax and booster charges through the vacation season.
Mirroring the monetary incentives that Boston has provided at vaccination clinics, the town of Cambridge will now be giving out $75 debit playing cards to individuals who reside or work within the metropolis who get vaccinated for COVID at a clinic on Thursday.
The town-sponsored clinic on the CambridgeSide shopping center will likely be providing the primary COVID vax dose, second dose and booster pictures.
“Getting vaccinated and receiving the latest COVID-19 booster dose really useful for you by the CDC stays a essential step to assist maintain your self, your loved ones, and your group secure,” Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui and Metropolis Supervisor Yi-An Huang stated in a joint assertion.
“We need to thank our vaccination workforce and CambridgeSide for working to make this clinic attainable earlier than the top of the yr,” they added. “We hope offering a modest monetary incentive will additional improve Cambridge’s vaccination charges.”
The town is funding the $75 debit playing cards by means of American Rescue Plan Act funds.
The up to date bivalent booster gives broader safety towards COVID variants and helps forestall extreme illness. Residents ages 5 and over who accomplished their major COVID vaccine sequence or acquired the unique booster not less than 2 months in the past ought to get the brand new booster to be nicely protected for the winter season, metropolis officers stated. Virus circumstances and hospitalizations have been rising in latest weeks throughout Massachusetts.
As of final week in Cambridge, 52% of metropolis residents had acquired a primary booster dose, and 25% had acquired a second booster. Many of those boosters have been the bivalent dose.
For older residents, the charges are significantly larger. Amongst people ages 65 to 74, 62% have had a second booster. Of individuals 75-plus, 70% have this stage of safety.
Just a few months in the past, the Boston Public Well being Fee gave out $75 present playing cards as an incentive to encourage residents to remain updated on their COVID vaccinations. The town reported an “overwhelming turnout” because of that monetary incentive to get vaxxed.
This week’s clinic will happen from 4 to eight p.m. on Thursday at CambridgeSide, 100 Cambridgeside Place.
The town is urging individuals to pre-register for the clinic at https://camb.ma/signup as walk-up availability will likely be restricted.
