Canvassers In Milford, Framingham Will Talk COVID-19 Vaccines

MILFORD, MA — Canvassers will go door-to-door this week in Framingham and Milford to talk to residents about coronavirus vaccines and booster shots. The Health Care For All campaign aims to promote vaccines in underserved communities.

Multilingual canvassers will especially focus on getting children vaccinated. The Pfizer version of the vaccine is available for children ages 5 to 11, and COVID-19 vaccines for kids under 5 may be coming soon.

Framingham Health Department Director Alexandra DePalo said previous Health Care For All campaigns were key to increasing vaccine rates. Both Milford and Framingham have high overall vaccination rates — 78 percent and 76.5 percent, respectively.

But vaccine rates among populations inside each community vary. For example, only about 65 percent of people age 20 to 29 and 39 percent of people age 5 to 11 were fully vaccinated in Framingham as of Jan. 26, according to city health data.

“We know that Health Care For All has worked tirelessly over the last two years to raise awareness surrounding COVID-19 safety,” Milford Health Director Jacquelyn Murphy said in a news release. “We are thrilled to be working with them this winter in Milford, to help us inform our community about the importance of being fully vaccinated.”

The group of four canvassers will hand out information in English, Spanish and Portuguese, and will be identifiable as Health Care For All representatives. They will also be wearing appropriate virus safety gear.

The MetroWest Health Foundation is funding this week's outreach campaign.