Clinics across Massachusetts offering $75 gift cards for COVID vaccines and boosters
BOSTON - Is getting a COVID vaccine or booster on your holiday to-do list?
Clinics across Massachusetts are offering $75 gift cards through the end of the year, or while supplies last, as an incentive for people in the state to get vaccinated and boosted.
The Department of Public Health's "Get Boosted" website lists nearly 250 locations where vaccines will be offered in the coming weeks. The clinics are in 20 "Vaccine Equity Initiative" communities, plus communities of color and areas with low booster rates.
According to the website, the cities and towns hosting vaccine clinics with the $75 gift cards are Amherst, Avon, Belchertown, Boston, Brimfield, Brockton, Chelsea, Chicopee, Dudley, Everett, Fall River, Fitchburg, Gardner, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Martha's Vineyard, Methuen, Nantucket, New Bedford, Randolph, Revere, Southbridge, Springfield, Taunton, Ware, Webster, West Springfield and Worcester.
The gift card is available to all Massachusetts residents, including children, who are getting a COVID vaccine dose. No ID or health insurance is required to get the vaccine. Some clinics may encourage pre-registration, but an appointment is not required.
Data shows least 92% of Massachusetts residents have had at least one COVID shot, but only 61% have received a booster dose as of November 21. About half of residents over the age of 65 have received a second booster, and that percentage is much lower for younger populations.
"Staying up to date on COVID-19 vaccines, including boosters, is the best way to prevent serious illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19," DPH says.
