Demand for the COVID-19 vaccine is beginning to decline as Massachusetts stepped up its vigilance efforts.

Dr. Alastairbel, Chief Medical Officer at the Boston Medical Center, said, “We’ve definitely seen a decline in the past week or so,” and last week’s initial doses dropped from about 1,500 last week to about 800. .. At South End Hospital and five satellite sites near Boston.

At several vaccination sites in central and western Massachusetts, demand is similarly declining dramatically.

“I fell off a cliff,” said Aaron Michelucci, senior director of Baystate Health’s pharmacy services in Springfield. He oversees the Holyoke and Greenfield sites, where the number of shots on Wednesday dropped from 1,096 a week ago. “The appointment was full within minutes, but we’ve just opened up a week’s worth of value and we’re not moving fast.”

New situations are forcing vaccine providers to change their approach: they can no longer just open the door and rely on people’s lines. It will lead to the discontinuation of continuous vaccination and will undermine efforts to quell the viral threat.

Instead, vaccine providers are moving into a new phase where outreach is a top priority, and more mobile sites are emerging in hard-to-reach communities. Some operators with sufficient doses have opened walk-in clinics that do not require reservations for vaccine seekers.

“It’s a ground game now,” said Michelucci, a site that welcomed the walk-in for the first time last week. “You got simple people. Now you have to chase people without technology, people without transportation.”

Nationally, the number of daily doses administered has decreased by more than 20% from 3.3 million to 2.6 million in the last two weeks. Many places, especially the South, as well as rural states such as New Hampshire, have already reached a turning point where supply exceeds demand.

However, in Massachusetts, where studies show less hesitation in vaccines than in most other states, some sites report that strong demand has just eased.

Daily doses at three CIC Health-operated mass vaccination sites (Hynes Convention Center and Reggie Lewis Center in Boston and Gillette Stadium in Foxborough) include injections by vaccinated people in “pop-up” locations. , Peaked on April 23. Last week, the daily total fell below 16,000, and bookings booked through the state’s pre-registration system are starting to slow down.

“Previously it was filled in seconds,” said Rachel Wilson, president of CIC Health. “There is no doubt that it is slowing down.”

In a telephone interview last week, Governor Charlie Baker said state officials were closely monitoring vaccination trends. However, to determine if residents, especially young people, who were fired on April 19th, lobbyed for Early Access and were vaccinated at the same rate as older people who enrolled in groups , He said, which could take several weeks. It became a target.

More than 2.5 million residents of Massachusetts are fully vaccinated, including three-quarters of those aged 65 and over. On the other side of the age group, only 28% of 16 and 17 years old receive at least one vaccination. Most qualify for less than two weeks. The Governor’s goal is to fully vaccinate approximately 4.1 million inhabitants, more than 70% of the state’s adult population, by July 4.

According to Baker, Massachusetts is on track to reach its goals, including not only state authorities, but also clergy, community leaders, and “hospital providers and lab coats.” Needs enhanced impetus to convince all qualified individuals. Residents to get a shot. In recent weeks, the state has launched a campaign to knock on doors in the areas and communities most affected by the coronavirus.

“We must continue to encourage [vaccinations] Through all the channels we have available, “Baker said.

Jenkates, senior vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, suggests that while other states, such as Massachusetts, are approaching it, many states have reached the “outer edge” of vaccine enthusiasm, according to a study. doing.

“Massachusetts may have the ability to vaccinate more people, but they will now have to reach out to people to make sure they come,” Kates said. Told.

A Suffolk University / Boston Globe poll released on April 1 found that more than 78% of the citizens surveyed were vaccinated or intended to fire as soon as possible. Only 7.4% said they would not be vaccinated.

Some sites claim that demand is not sluggish. “We still have a very stable number of bookings at the Danvers, Dartmouth and Springfield mass vaccination centers,” said Dean Schultis, senior vice president of Curative, California, who runs the site. He said the number of shots taken at Dartmouth, the state’s smallest site, has recently exceeded 1,000 a day and remains at that level.

“There are places where we are experiencing drop-offs,” said Schultis, who operates other vaccination sites across the country, not in Massachusetts.

Vaccine providers at 11 hospitals, clinics and rental sites send invitations to patients by text, email, phone and letter. We plan to start a carry-on service in the next few weeks.

“We need a little more effort to reach out to people for our schedule,” said Dr. Tom Sequist, General Brigam’s Chief Patient Experience and Equity Officer.

At most Massachusetts sites, operators say getting the vaccine isn’t a problem a few weeks ago.

Rich Napolitano, Senior Vice President of the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, said: “When we started this week, not all schedules were met, which was unusual.”

Health center staff have begun bringing vaccines to the Merrimack Valley manufacturing plant operated by New Balance and the Gem Group. “Some of their people may not have been looking for a vaccine otherwise,” Napolitano said.

State officials have focused education and support on the black, Hispanic, and immigrant communities that are wary of vaccines. However, research shows that vaccines from rural areas, political conservatives, and newly qualified “young invincible” who do not trust the vaccine or do not expect to become seriously ill if infected with COVID. Other resistant pockets are shown-19.

On vaccination sites in central Massachusetts, “not very often. [vaccine seekers] From 18 to 25, “said Olga Brown, Vaccine Program Manager at the UMass Memorial Health System. “Most people are over 30 years old.”

According to Brown, the Worcester-based UMass system has recorded a slight reduction in shots managed on standing and mobile sites. However, one-third of the first dose shots are now available the day after the appointment is made. And the no-show rate has recently doubled from 3 percent to 6 percent.

Baystate Health’s Michelucci said some young people were vaccinated before April 19. But “there are Gen Z and Millennials, and their acceptance rates are much lower overall,” he said. “We’re heading for a warmer climate and many people are upset about it. This isn’t necessary because they feel they’ll go out more.”

Of particular concern to Burlington-based Healthcare’s healthcare system is the youth in the cities where it serves.

“In the Hispanic and black communities, young people are a little hesitant to accept the vaccine,” said Dr. Gabriella Anduger Basquez, an infectious disease specialist at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, the anchor hospital for the system. Told.

A new strategy is emerging at the Lawrence Family Health Center, which is trying to vaccinate similar people.

“Maybe we’re going to them,” Napolitano said.

Robert Wiseman can be reached at [email protected].. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeRobW..