WESTFORD — Roll up your sleeves, Westford residents. This year’s COVID-19 vaccines will be available soon.
In a news conference on Thursday, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey announced that she and her administration had taken steps to ensure that yearly COVID-19 vaccines and other vaccines will remain available to Massachusetts residents.
The governor’s announcement follows disruption on the federal level in the process to get vaccines out to communities. On Aug. 27, the Food and Drug Administration announced it had approved this year’s COVID-19 vaccine and that it had narrowed its authorization of who should receive the vaccine to people age 65 and older and younger people with at least one underlying health condition that put them at risk of severe illness from COVID.
In previous years, the vaccine had been more widely recommended by the federal government for healthy adults and children who are 6 months and older. It is used to prevent transmission and lessen the severity of the virus that caused a worldwide pandemic.
Since the beginning of the pandemic in the United States, 1.2 million people have died of COVID-19—in 87% of those deaths, COVID was the primary cause of death listed on a death certificate, while in the other portion, it was a contributing cause, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracking through Aug. 30, 2025.
Last week’s federal announcement resulted in major pharmacy chains, like CVS, announcing they could not have their pharmacists administer COVID-19 shots to people who did not meet the new federal authorizations in Massachusetts and some other states due to those states’ regulations.
At the federal level, this week, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an outspoken vaccine skeptic, was grilled at a U.S. Senate hearing about his actions related to narrowing COVID-19 vaccine access.
Access in Westford
Rae Dick, director of the Westford Health Department, said since last week, she has fielded at least 15 calls from Westford residents, including parents who had been concerned about getting access to the vaccine for their children.
In Westford, about 98% of school-age children between kindergarten and grade 12 have their routine required vaccinations, Dick said.
COVID-19 is not a required vaccine to attend school, but like the yearly influenza vaccine, many pediatricians and health care providers recommend it.
Dick said there are no COVID-19 vaccines on-site at the Westford Health Department right now, but residents can try scheduling with pharmacies or their health care providers. If they have difficulty getting a shot, they can call the Westford Health Department to be placed on a waiting list, she said. She suggests checking with insurance also about if there will be a cost.
“I will say from talking to residents and providers, there is an uptick of positive cases,” Dick said.
New State Process for Vaccines
Massachusetts is the first state in the country to guarantee insurance coverage of vaccines recommended by the state, according to Gov. Healey. Other states also made announcements this week related to vaccine access.
“Massachusetts has the best health care in the world,” Healey said. “When the federal government fails to protect public health, Massachusetts will step up.”
At Healey’s direction, the Division of Insurance and Department of Public Health issued a bulletin that requires insurance carriers in Massachusetts to continue to cover vaccines recommended by the Department of Health and not rely solely on CDC recommendations.
In an issued press statement, a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts representative said, “We strongly support vaccine access and view it as a critical part of public health and preventive care.”
The representative added the insurer has not made changes to its coverage or cost-share of routine vaccines. “We’re proud to work with the Healey administration as part of the Massachusetts Vaccine Purchasing Advisory Council and applaud the state’s efforts to ensure continued access to vaccinations,” the representative said.
Changes in Massachusetts’ vaccine process also will apply to the flu and RSV and routine vaccines for children, like measles, chickenpox and Hepatitis B.
The Department of Health also issued a standing order to allow pharmacies to provide COVID vaccines to residents age 5 and older. Children under age 5 can receive the vaccine through their pediatrician, according to Healey’s office.
On Friday, at least one large pharmacy chain’s website was allowing healthy adults to schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments at a nearby retailer and also make appointments for older children who can receive the adult vaccine.
