First mass vaccination site on the North Shore opens in Danvers

DANVERS, Mass. — The first mass vaccination site on the North Shore opened Wednesday at the Doubletree Hotel in Danvers.

The hotel’s ballroom has been transformed into a clinic to give the COVID-19 shots. Initially, 100 local staff members will be helping to vaccinate between 400 to 500 patients a day. The goal is to ramp up to 3,000 vaccinations a day once they are at full capacity.

This site, run by Curative, a California-based company that opened a mass vaccination site at the Eastfield Mall in Springfield last week, is the fifth mass vaccination site open in Massachusetts. The state hopes to open at least seven of the sites, and by mid-February, the state says the mass vaccination sites will have the capacity to vaccinate 76,000 people a week.

“We will be here as long as we need to be here,” said Dr. Sly Douglas, the northeast lead for Curative. “Is there a set date when we will be leaving? No, because I don’t think COVID is going to be leaving anytime soon as well. So we will be here seven days a week, 9 am to 6 pm by appointment only and we’re really excited to be here.”

The appointments at the Doubletree in Danvers are booked for the week, but the governor said new appointments for mass vaccination sites are added on Thursdays. Those who are eligible to get vaccinated should check for new openings then.

To schedule an appointment at the Danvers site, visit curative.com.

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