Over 3,500 vaccines administered during The Big E this year

WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Thousands received seasonal vaccines during their visit to The Big E this year.

At The Big E, a vaccine clinic was held outside of the National Grange Building, according to a news release from the Grange. Pharmacists were brought from across the nation were brought to help administer over 3,500 COVID, Flu, and RSV vaccines to fairgoers. Most of the participants received a free vaccine, depending on their coverage.

Families Fighting Flu provided materials to help educate everyone about the importance of flu vaccination and to share stories from their members who had a family member lost to or seriously impacted by the flu.

The home of the fair is the Eastern States Exposition, and they are organized as a not-for-profit, educational institution under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Big E is best known for its fair foods, arts and crafts, state buildings, Mardi Gras floats parade, rides, agricultural events, and music performances. The Big E ran this year from September 15th to October 1st and a total of 1,427,234 million people visited the fair this year, breaking five daily attendance records.

“We were excited to be able to offer these timely vaccines and are pleased that so many people wanted to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated,” said Betsy Huber, President, National Grange. “One of our guiding principles at the Grange is protecting the health and well-being of our communities. Vaccines are a proven way to keep our communities healthy – pair that with being able to offer vaccines at New England’s largest agricultural event of the year is a perfect combination.”

“With more than a million visitors anticipated at the Big E each year, we knew it needed to be all hands on deck to ensure everyone who wanted a vaccine could get one,” said Chad Worz, Chief Executive Officer, of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists. “Our ASCP members from New England and states across the country stepped up to help us pull off this two-week-long clinic—and were excited to be part of this major vaccination effort.”

“We understand that people have real questions they want answered when making their vaccine decisions,” said Michele Slafkosky, Executive Director of Families Fighting Flu. “Our mission is to ensure that all individuals understand the impact that the flu can have—how quickly it can turn very serious. Sharing that information with the visitors at the Big E was an opportunity we were so excited to be a part of this year.”