PEABODY — The City of Peabody will be hosting a free COVID-19 vaccine clinic on Saturday that will be open to anyone who is at least 18 years old.
The event, sponsored by the city and North Shore Community Health, will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Peabody Council on Aging/Peter A. Torigian Senior Center at 75R Central St.
The Moderna vaccine will be administered at the clinic, which is open to anyone, regardless of residency.
“Getting your vaccine will help protect you against COVID-19 and help move our community toward doing the things we love to do,” Public Health Director Sharon Cameron said. “I think we have done a good job of targeting our residents and people who work or worship in Peabody toward the clinic, but the clinic is open to anyone.”
Cameron said the most recent public health data shows that 52 percent of residents in all age groups have received at least one shot, while 39 percent are fully vaccinated.
For residents aged 75 and older, 67 percent of residents are fully vaccinated and 73 percent have received one dose. In the 65 to 74 age group, 72 percent of residents are fully vaccinated and 80 percent have received at least one shot.
“Even though the number in the 65 and up group is still high, we would love to have it increase,” Cameron said. “We have some outreach work to do on some groups that have hesitancy about getting vaccinated.
“Obviously the communities with the highest rates of vaccination are the wealthier communities, but we are making progress. We know we still have a lot of work to do with people who are on the fence or have misinformation about its safety.”
Pre-registration for the clinic is recommended.
“We certainly will take people who walk in, but are hoping that people will pre-register as it helps with our ability to provide suitable staffing and eliminate longer waiting time,” Cameron said.
Mayor Edward A. Bettencourt Jr. said he hopes that, as more residents are vaccinated, life in the city will slowly return to normal.
“The Health Department continues to do a great job in helping people get vaccinated, and this clinic will be just another opportunity for more people to get their shots,” he said. “Every day we are getting more and more people vaccinated, so that will help us as we continue to reopen the city as safely as possible.”
To pre-register, go to the city’s website, https://www.peabody-ma.gov/ and click on “free COVID vaccine clinic” under the news header. If people are not able to register on their own, they should call the Health Department at 978-538-5921, which will then pre-register the person.
Cameron said that residents who are unable to be vaccinated on Saturday can be vaccinated at many nearby sites. For more information about the locations of other clinics, go to the state’s website, https://www.mass.gov/covid-19- vaccine.
