In the News

SPRINGFIELD — U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal on Thursday worked with the White House to rescue thousands of doses of coronavirus vaccine stranded in Southern states hard hit by winter weather.

According to a Neal spokesperson, the Springfield Democrat spoke directly with the office of President Joe Biden to reclaim Massachusetts’ weekly shipment of doses, delayed out of Kentucky and Tennessee, hubs of vaccine distribution.

Massachusetts still will not receive its total allotment, but Neal’s initiative bumped up the delivery from zero to 49,000 doses to more than 135,000 in less than 24 hours, spokespersons for Neal and the state’s COVID-19 Command Center said.

Meanwhile the VA Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare System said weather-related shipping delays could delay vaccination appointments. The Northampton medical center said veterans should call to confirm their appointments before leaving home.

“I understand that weather impacts shipments, and I understand that delays may occur,” said Neal, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. “But I was not willing to let thousands of individuals across the state of Massachusetts who had signed up to receive the vaccine this weekend go without it.”

Gov. Charlie Baker previously announced that vaccine doses were going to be delayed until Monday, and that the Command Center was working with vaccine providers to determine how the setback might affect scheduled appointments.

Neal’s office said the doses set to arrive in Massachusetts Friday afternoon will ensure that scheduled appointments will not be impacted, at least over the weekend.

Baker appealed to Neal for help on Thursday morning, according to the congressman’s spokesperson. The elected officials conferred early afternoon and Neal secured the doses by Thursday evening, his office said. A spokesperson for Baker said the governor also reached out directly to White House officials.

Command Center officials confirmed the state now has received roughly 85,000 new Moderna vaccines and plus 40,000 Pfizer doses.

“Governor Baker and the Command Center have been in constant communication with federal officials to rush vaccine shipments to Massachusetts. Today, 135,025 arrived to the Commonwealth and as a result, providers will not have to cancel appointments. The Administration appreciates the efforts made to get this critical shipment here and is not anticipating additional delays from the federal government for vaccine shipments at this time,” said Kate Reilly of the COVID-19 Command Center.

“Going forward, Governor Baker urges the federal government to provide larger shipments and more lead time for the state, so more eligible residents can get their shots as quickly and safely as possible,” Reilly added.

Baker also announced the new arrivals on his public Twitter account.

On Thursday, Baker said he and other governors requested permission to dispatch the National Guard to Kentucky and Tennessee to rescue the state’s doses. It seems the request was denied as the guard was not activated.

“We can’t afford to go what will be almost a week without getting any new doses from the feds and continue to maintain the appointment schedules that people here expect and anticipate we’ll be able to maintain,” Baker told the State House News Service.

The weather delay came on the heels of a disastrous morning for the state’s online registration system. A flood of about a million newly eligible vaccine recipients — including residents 65 and older and those with pre-existing medical conditions — crashed the site for hours Thursday.

Baker candidly told members of the press he was “pissed off” over the technical glitch.

“My hair is on fire about the whole thing. I can’t even begin to tell you how pissed off I am,” he told reporters.