The Perfect Enemy | Boston health officials host COVID-19 vaccination clinic with $75 incentive

The Boston Public Health Commission hosted a COVID-19 vaccination and booster clinic Saturday with an incentive: a $75 gift card for anyone under 18 who gets vaccinated or boosted and one caregiver that gets vaccinated or boosted with them.”It is what brought me out,” one mother, who brought all five or her children to the clinic said. “They needed to get vaccinated, so I was like what a great way to get my kids vaccinated and get the $75 gift card.”Officials said they had 200 appointments scheduled and were welcoming walk-ins as well, equipped with enough vaccine doses for 1,000 people. This was the second time an event of its kind was held. The first one was a back-to-school clinic in September where they vaccinated more than 700 people.The incentive is part of an effort to increase vaccination rates among children.”A lot of kids who are in Boston Public Schools have not been vaccinated and we want to protect them, as well as our staff and teachers, so people remain healthy and decrease absences from school,” Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, the Boston commissioner of public health said.Based on wastewater testing, Ojikutu says they anticipate an increase in cases and hospitalizations over the next several weeks. “What we’re really following is our wastewater and we’ve seen about 100% increase in the amount of COVID-19 virus that’s actually in our wastewater over the last week or so,” Ojikutu said. “This is very concerning.”There are currently no additional giveaway clinics scheduled for the days and weeks to come but anyone who is looking for a COVID-19 vaccination or booster shot is encouraged to seek out nearby clinics or click here to search for one.

BOSTON —

“It is what brought me out,” one mother, who brought all five or her children to the clinic said. “They needed to get vaccinated, so I was like what a great way to get my kids vaccinated and get the $75 gift card.”

Officials said they had 200 appointments scheduled and were welcoming walk-ins as well, equipped with enough vaccine doses for 1,000 people.

This was the second time an event of its kind was held. The first one was a back-to-school clinic in September where they vaccinated more than 700 people.

The incentive is part of an effort to increase vaccination rates among children.

“A lot of kids who are in Boston Public Schools have not been vaccinated and we want to protect them, as well as our staff and teachers, so people remain healthy and decrease absences from school,” Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, the Boston commissioner of public health said.

Boston health officials host COVID-19 vaccination clinic with incentive

Based on wastewater testing, Ojikutu says they anticipate an increase in cases and hospitalizations over the next several weeks.

“What we’re really following is our wastewater and we’ve seen about 100% increase in the amount of COVID-19 virus that’s actually in our wastewater over the last week or so,” Ojikutu said. “This is very concerning.”

There are currently no additional giveaway clinics scheduled for the days and weeks to come but anyone who is looking for a COVID-19 vaccination or booster shot is encouraged to seek out nearby clinics or click here to search for one.