WESTFIELD –  Local Councils on Aging (COA) have been continuing to work to get COVID-19 vaccines to vulnerable populations even as all Massachusetts residents over the age of 16 become eligible to receive their shots.

Westfield Council on Aging Executive Director Tina Gorman said April 14 that the COA was able to partner with the Westfield Housing Authority to vaccinate more than 100 of the city’s most vulnerable senior citizens with the Moderna vaccine.

Gorman said that the seniors were not eligible for a local homebound vaccination program, but many of them have various mobility issues that prevent them from getting to a vaccine appointment at a pharmacy or a mass vaccination clinic. Last week they gave second doses to 25 people per day over a four-day period.

Police Lt. Kevin Bard and the recently-retired Cpt. Michael McCabe assisted with the clinic and helped seniors get out of their vehicles and to their appointments.

Gorman said that the COA and the Health Department worked together to come up with a list of 50 homebound residents for the homebound vaccination program. Gorman said that people had begun getting their vaccines, but they were getting the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.     The use of the J&J vaccine was paused nationwide last week after reports of six women  18 to 48 years of age developing serious blood clots weeks after receiving the shot.

More than six million Americans have received the J&J shot.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor to President Joe Biden, said April 18 that he expects a decision to be made on the continued use of the J&J vaccine by April 23.

If the vaccine is cleared for further use, local homebound vaccination programs will be able to continue by using their existing J&J vaccine supply.

Gorman said that the opening of the Big E vaccination site will be able to provide more vaccine access to local residents. In addition, more local pharmacies, including Walgreens and Walmart are receiving doses of the vaccine.

“Things are starting to open up locally, which is what we thought would happen,” said Gorman.

She noted that phone calls to the COA from people having trouble signing up for a vaccine appointment have largely subsided.

“Our phone calls have started subsiding. People aren’t panicking as much as they realize things are beginning to open up,” said Gorman.

Southwick Council on Aging Director Cindy Sullivan and Health Director Tammy Spencer were planning on doing a homebound vaccination program on April 14 with the J&J vaccine. Spencer said that she found out about the pause one minute after she picked up 50 doses for homebound Southwick residents.

She said that she was also preparing for the Big E mass vaccination site. As one of the towns that signed onto the site, Southwick’s Health Department will be able to sign 72 residents up for their appointments every week, rather than those residents needing to sign up online elsewhere.

“We will start using the Senior Center as a calling area for people who need help,” said Spencer.

As of April 15 13,508 Westfield residents had received at least one dose of any of the three vaccines approved for emergency use. In Southwick 3,139 residents had received at least one vaccine dose.