CIC Health, a vendor operating multiple mass vaccination sites in Massachusetts in an effort to inoculate as many residents as possible against the scourge of COVID-19, is formally opening a new site Monday at the Hynes Convention Center, the company said in a statement.
“The Commonwealth of Massachusetts will open a COVID-19 mass vaccination site on March 18 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston’s Back Bay under the operation of CIC Health,” the statement said. “Media are invited to tour the site and observe a soft launch on Friday, March 19, before the official launch on Monday, March 22.”
The company’s been operating a mass vaxx site at Fenway Park, but that site’s closing down with baseball season fast approaching.
Advertisement
“The Hynes, which will scale to be the largest mass vaccination operation in the Commonwealth, will follow the State’s vaccine distribution timeline and supply,” the statement said. “The soft launch kicks off with capacity for 500 daily appointments, ramping up to 1,000 daily appointments for the official launch and, ultimately, to nearly 9,000 appointments a day.”
Governor Charlie Baker announced earlier this month that the mass vaccination site at Fenway will close for good on March 27.
“The fundamental purpose of Fenway Park is to provide a place for the Red Sox to practice and play baseball,” Baker said at the time.
The principal owner of the Red Sox, John Henry, also owns the Boston Globe.
CIC Health hyped the Hynes launch via Twitter as well.
“Gearing up for our soft launch at the Hynes Convention Center tomorrow, followed by an official launch on Monday, March 22!” the commpany tweeted, adding that starting Monday, “the site will be open from 9AM-5PM, seven days a week, with plans to extend weekday hours shortly thereafter.”
Advertisement
In a related development, state officials announced Wednesday that starting Monday, public-facing workers — including grocery employees and transit and sanitation workers — will be allowed to book shots, as will all residents 60 and over. On April 5, anybody 55 and over, as well as people with one of the listed health conditions, will become eligible, before the doors swing fully open on April 19 to all residents 16 and older. While everybody will become eligible, it will still take time to process the millions of appointments, officials cautioned.
Material from prior Globe stories was used in this report.
Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.