HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – A mobile vaccination bus will be administering vaccines in Holyoke to underserved communities starting Thursday.

According to a news release sent to 22News, Mobile Vax is an effort created by Tufts Health Plan and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care to reach and vaccinate more people against COVID-19 particularly those in black and brown communities and non-English speaking populations.

The two-day mobile vaccination clinic located at Veterans’ Memorial Park on 536 Dwight Street in Holyoke is focused on bringing vaccines to residents in Holyoke and Chicopee and will administer approximately 120 vaccinations per day starting on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The clinic is being supported by Holyoke Health, who will also administer the vaccines. 

Those looking to get vaccinated are encouraged to make an appointment. Walk-ins will be accommodated based on vaccine availability.

There are plans to get the bus to many more communities in western Massachusetts. Tufts Health plan and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care made this Mobile Vax effort a reality.

“We have cold storage on the bus and the vaccine is being stored safely and effectively,” said Adam Scott, Tufts Health Plan’s Senior Vice President of Health Care Services. “We are running out of the vaccine everyday.”

This mobile vaccination effort came to Holyoke, a city that still has less than 50 percent of its population vaccinated. The acting mayor says its the younger population that needs the motivation.

“Encourage them, to get it, give them incentives to get it because when the community is healthy, the businesses can thrive again,” said Terry Murphy, Holyoke’s Acting Mayor.

The COVID-19 vaccination card is proof you were vaccinated, and you may need it for traveling, and attending large events.

“You can put your car safely in a plastic safety holder so you can travel with it, take it with you on the go,” said Jay Breines, CEO of Holyoke Health Center. “So if somebody says, ‘We’d like to know if you’re vaccinated,’ we don’t hear that yet but it might be coming.”

Future destinations for the mobile vaccination bus includes the Chicopee Boys and Girls Club next week.