Erving Board of Health Dissolves Vaccine Subcommittee, Shifts to Working Group

ERVING -- March 10, 2021, Erving Board of Health votes to dissolve its COVID-19 vaccine subcommittee and replace it with a working group. The board voted unanimously at its March 10 meeting to eliminate the subcommittee, with Chair Jeffrey McAndrews citing the administrative burden of formal appointments and swearing-in requirements as incompatible with a fast-moving vaccine rollout. Regional health nurse Lisa White reported only two COVID-19 cases in Erving over the prior month and said the regional cooperative has administered roughly 2,000 vaccine doses to date across several Franklin County communities. The team received just 500 doses for the current week against a request of 1,400, with 290 doses headed to a Montague clinic at Turners Falls High School. The longer-term regional goal, confirmed with the state Department of Public Health, is 750 doses per day, five days a week.