Gov. Charlie Baker received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday and said the state's pre-registration system worked as it should to book his appointment at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston.
"I got my first dose today. I pre-registered and was notified last week that I was now eligible to make an appointment, and I did. And so far, I feel great," Baker told the press after receiving the Pfizer shot.
Baker became eligible for the vaccine Monday. At 64 years old, Baker is among the oldest residents included in the newly-eligible 55-64 year old category. All adults with a health condition that could cause complications from the virus were also made eligible Monday. The governor had said he would turn down special treatment as an elected officials and get the vaccination when his turn came up in the system used by the general public.
Baker said he's scheduled for his second dose at Hynes in two weeks and that he "got sixty-five text messages telling me that I got the second appointment" from the preregistration system.
"The system is wired," he said.
According to Baker, Massachusetts received 198,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week, along with 138,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine and 109,000 doses of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The federally-operated facility at Hynes is providing an additional 6,000 shots per day.
Baker was asked when leaving the podium how his arm felt after the shot.
"Feels fine so far — although I got to tell you, it's a real shot," he said.
