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Tracking vaccinations in Massachusetts

Use this tool to see who is getting vaccinated

Vince Dixon, Globe Staff
January 14, 2021 | Updated April 8, 2021
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Illustration by Ryan Huddle

After three months of Massachusetts residents receiving COVID-19 vaccinations, only 28 percent — or 1.6 million — of the 5.7 million eligible people (residents 16 and older) have been fully inoculated. At that rate, it could be well into the summer before the state reaches its goal of vaccinating 4.1 million people. Meanwhile more than 17,000 people in Massachusetts have died from the virus.

A number of significant barriers have hindered a smooth vaccination rollout. In January, Massachusetts had one of the slowest distribution rates in the country. Many people trying to get in the growing line of residents seeking a shot encountered technology problems, or had difficulty finding appointments.

Also, early polls showed that groups like Republicans, churchgoers, and Black and Latino residents were somewhat reluctant to take part in the vaccination program. Data show that some of those groups, particularly Latino residents, have been vaccinated at slower rates than the overall rate for the state, despite being disproportionately hit by the pandemic.

On April 5, the state opened vaccine registration to residents 65+ and those with at least one comorbidity. So far, 62 percent of seniors 65 and over, one of the first groups prioritized in Phase 2, are fully vaccinated. On April 19, the general public will be allowed to register.

Continue scrolling for guided highlights showing what portion of the state and its sub-communities are being vaccinated compared to others. Skip ahead to explore the data on your own. Or navigate to a separate page to see charts of vaccine data released by the state each.

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out of in the state have been fully vaccinated.
 = 10,000 people
Source: Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; last updated: 4/8/21. Values in visual rounded to nearest 10,000th
Massachusetts distributed its first vaccine doses in mid-December. More than 2.7 million people in Massachusetts (about 48 percent of the state’s 5.7 million residents who are 16 and older and eligible to be vaccinated) have gotten at least one dose of either of the three vaccines, according to the CDC. So far only 1.6 million are fully vaccinated.
The first phase of the state’s rollout prioritized health care workers and first responders. Phase 2 added seniors to the line. Seniors are among the most vulnerable to the virus, with more than 80 percent of COVID-19-related deaths in the US being people 65 and older, according to the CDC. State data shows that 344,000 residents 75 or older and 385,000 residents between 65 and 74 have already been vaccinated so far in Massachusetts.
Not all groups are lining up to be vaccinated. Black and Latino residents are among the most reluctant. According to a Boston Globe and Suffolk University survey from December, only 11 percent of Black residents and 32 percent of Latino residents said they want the vaccine as soon as possible. Phase 1 prioritized COVID-19-facing health care workers. Even though an estimated 14 percent of select health care workers in Massachusetts are Black, according to research center Boston Indicators, Black residents accounted for less than 5 percent of vaccinations during the first phase. The uptake increased slightly in Phase 2, in which Black residents currently account for 5 percent of full vaccinations.
Inoculation has been the slowest among Latino residents. Only 9 percent of Latino people in Massachusetts have been vaccinated. The group also makes up 5 percent of total vaccinations, despite representing 12 percent of the state population.
The state’s vaccination report shows there are almost twice as many women getting vaccinated than men. Men account for 39 percent of fully vaccinated residents even though they make up 48 percent of the state’s population.
The majority of people being vaccinated are women. Women account for 60 percent of vaccinations, even though women represent 51 percent of the state population.

Use the tool below to see what portion of different demographic groups in the state have been vaccinated. This tool will be updated as more data becomes available.

See who has been vaccinated:
vaccinated out of from this group.
 = 10,000 people
Source: Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; last updated: 4/8/21. Values in visual rounded to nearest 10,000th

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