Gillette Stadium Becomes State's First Mass Vaccination Site

Gillette Stadium in Foxborough will become Massachusetts' first mass COVID-19 vaccination site.

The home stadium of the New England Patriots and Revolution will be distributing its first doses of the vaccine on Thursday, Governor Charlie Baker announced via WHDH.

The vaccine will initially be distributed first to site staffers working on the distribution and then to first responders and individuals living and working in congregate care settings on Monday (January 18.)

“We’ve had some outbreaks that have been pretty dramatic and again, it moves and it moves fast when you’re in a congregate care facility. That’s just a fact,” Baker said in a press conference on Wednesday via WHDH.

The state of Massachusetts reports about 94,000 individuals within congregate care settings, which includes group homes, shelters, residential treatment programs and correctional facilities, will be eligible for vaccinations beginning on Monday, which means inmates will be eligible before the elderly and individuals with serious pre-existing health problems.

“All the data and all the evidence makes pretty clear that congregate care settings are at-risk communities, no matter how you define them,” Baker said via WHDH.

Baker said he rejected a suggestion of correction officers and staff members being given the vaccine, but inmates being excluding, noting that inmates have visitors and can spread the virus outside of the facility.

“I don’t think you can draw a bright line that says you’re only going to vaccinate one-half of a population and not the other when in fact, there are other people who do come in and out,” Gov. Baker said via WHDH.

Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders also confirmed a new at-risk group will be eligible for the vaccination at the beginning of phase two of the state's distribution plan.

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