Councilor Lederman Convenes COVID-19 Committee Meeting to Review Vaccine Data

The Springfield City Council’s COVID-19 Response Sub-Committee met Tuesday to review limited data from the state Department of Public Health and the Eastfield Mall Mass Vaccination Site.

The Public Health Department Data showed that as of February 23, a total of 15,953 individuals had been vaccinated in Springfield with their first shot, and 5,097 had received their second shot. This data includes individuals vaccinated at any location and is sorted by residential zip code.

The Eastfield Mall Data showed that from January 28, 2021 to February 16, 2021 a total of 13,688 individuals were vaccinated, of which 4,955 were Springfield residents. The Eastfield Mall Data was provided to the Committee by Curative and was sorted by zip code.

The top 5 zip codes represented from the Eastfield Mall site (01056, 01095, 01020, 01085, 01106) were located in Ludlow, Wilbraham, Chicopee, and Longmeadow as well as a one zip code representing parts of West Springfield, Southwick, Russell, and Montgomery. Springfield’s 01109 zip code came in 6th, followed by a mix of other Springfield zip codes and zip codes from across the state.

At-Large Springfield City Councilor Jesse Lederman, Chairman of the COVID-19 Response Committee, stated “This data gives us our first snapshot of the status of vaccination in Springfield, but more detailed data on a regular basis will be necessary to accurately assess and respond to the pandemic as we move through vaccination phases. The state should be providing this data regularly and publicly. Upon initial review, the fact that suburban zip codes topped the list at the mass vaccination site is a clear indicator of why the state must prioritize localized vaccine distribution in Springfield. The state should take steps to make this a reality immediately.”

City Council President Marcus Williams said “The data we do have shows that while some Springfield residents are getting to the Eastfield Mall, others are experiencing barriers. Equitable supply of vaccinations throughout Springfield has to be a priority. It is encouraging to see the COVID numbers begin to trend down, but if there happens to a be spike due to newer variants, capturing that data is all the more important and localized vaccine sites could help that effort.”

Ward 7 City Councilor Tim Allen, Chair of the Elder Affairs Committee, said “I am glad we have a first look at the Springfield vaccination data. More information is needed to compare that data to the number of eligible people citywide and in each zip code to make it more meaningful.”