1. United States
2. Mass.
3. Letter

state_all I am concerned by the recent Federal news that COVID-19 vaccines may not be available for persons under 65, and it also leads to questions as to whether we can expect other seasonal vaccines (namely for the flu) to be available as well. While I certainly understand the need to prioritize older and immunocompromised populations in situations where not many vaccines are available, such as in the early days of COVID-19 development, this reads as a very irresponsible policy stance at present when we, as far as I’m aware, have a reliable supply of COVID vaccines from multiple manufacturers. I don’t know if this is at all possible but I think it would be fantastic if Massachusetts could make a state-level arrangement to supply all interested residents with these vaccines in the fall—especially since our state is home to so many medical, scientific, and biotechnology companies! Not to mention prestigious medical research universities. I hope you and your legislative colleagues will explore this as a possibility to keep Massachusetts citizens protected during peak illness seasons. In turn, this protects the most vulnerable members of our population — but I know you know that, even if some individuals at the Federal level do not.