The Fenway Park mass vaccination site will transition from the old ballfield this week to the Hynes Convention Center, opening on March 18, and scaling up to be the largest mass vax site in the state.
Gov. Charlie Baker announced earlier this month that the Commonwealth would open a mass vaccination site on March 18 at the Hynes Convention Center under the operation of CIC Health. After the administration of more than 260,000 vaccines at CIC Health’s Gillette Stadium, Fenway Park, and Reggie Lewis Center mass vaccination sites (as of March 15), the State asked the Cambridge-based health tech company to transition operations from Fenway to the Hynes.
“We are humbled to have been given the opportunity to help Massachusetts become a leader in vaccine rollout. We are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” said Tim Rowe, CEO and co-founder of CIC Health. “In collaboration with the Commonwealth, the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, Mass General Brigham, Boston Properties, and multiple health care delivery partners, we are excited to once again expand the State’s capacity for safe and accessible vaccinations with the addition of the Hynes Convention Center site.”
Per the Commonwealth’s decision, CIC Health will transition operations from its Fenway Park mass vaccination site to the Hynes Convention Center this week in the hopes of scaling up to nearly 9,000 shots administered per day. Less than a mile from the ballpark, the Hynes is centrally located and easily accessible by public transportation. Plus — by sheer virtue of its size — it offers the ability to scale vaccination delivery by more than seven times that of Fenway.
CIC Health is incredibly grateful for its instrumental partnership with the Boston Red Sox, which will have enabled more than 55,000 vaccinations by March 27, the final day of vaccine operations at Fenway.
CIC Health is one of the largest operators of COVID-19 testing services in New England, and the largest operator of vaccine delivery services in Massachusetts. The company applied lessons learned in the testing realm — where it is known for easy online scheduling, no lines, and quick results turnaround — to vaccine administration.
“During the darkest days of the pandemic, the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center was home to the Boston Hope Field Hospital,” said David Gibbons, executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA). “We are excited to now partner with the Commonwealth and CIC Health to use the Hynes Convention Center as a mass vaccination site to meet this critical public health need as we make the transition from treating, to defeating, the coronavirus.”
In addition to collaborating with the MCCA, CIC Health has partnered with Mass General Brigham to provide expert medical oversight, Cataldo Ambulance to support preparation and administration of the vaccine, DMSE Sports for on-site vaccine operations and logistics management, and PWN Health for remote customer support. CIC Health is also grateful for the support of Boston Properties, which will offer up to two hours of free parking in the Prudential Center Garage for vaccination appointments.
Vaccinations at the Hynes Convention Center begin with a soft launch on Thursday, March 18, followed by the official launch on Monday, March 22. The Pfizer vaccine will be administered at this site, but that may change later depending on the vaccine supply the State receives. The soft launch kicks off with capacity for 500 daily appointments, ramping up to 1,000 the following week and, ultimately, to nearly 9,000. Beginning Monday, March 22, the site will be open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., seven days a week, with plans to extend weekday hours shortly thereafter.
Eligibility for vaccination appointments will continue to follow the State’s timeline at mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-covid-19-vaccination-phases. Eligible individuals can preregister for appointments using the State’s new system at mass.gov/COVIDvaccine. Individuals without internet access or who cannot navigate the online system may call 211 to preregister by phone. To learn more, visit cic-health.com/vaccines.