BY DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY MARCH 22, 2021) — Spring has sprung, and with that, THE PLANET presents the flowering of the COVID vaccination debate, what we call “The Vaccinated Chronicles.”

Of course, this would be unnecessary if Pittsfield were run by competent, honest officials.

But alas … de we need to continue?

As a rival to Thucydides stirring account of the Peloponnesian War, this one pales in comparison … but so do the countless thousands of qualified people who can’t get an appointment for a vaccination anywhere in Berkshire County. While THE PLANET sniffs and snoops, here’s the account thus far as its played out on this site.

It began with “Vaccinated”‘s account of the ineptitude of local officials with respect to vaccinations. “Flogging Molly” was having none of it, thus:

Flogging Molly

This column is a huge pile of steaming horse manure. I’m not even sure a disgruntled school teacher being forced back to work, could right this malarkey.

First off, the appointment website is totally the responsibility of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The locals, i.e. Pittsfield have nothing to do with it. This web platform was purchased from a collaborative out of Maryland. Depending on who you believe, either the vendor is out of their league or Massachusetts was too cheap to buy all the modules to make it work effectively. Had you watched the inquiry held a few weeks back you would have gleaned this information. The only thing the Berkshire County Boards of Health does is input the specific information to the platform when vaccine is available to makes appointments for specific dates available in the site.

2nd, the vaccine is horribly under supplied by the Feds who can’t buy it fast enough to supply states. Also common knowledge, if you watch the press events and hearings. Feds only give the state 3 weeks notice of what’s coming and the state then determines where it goes based on 2nd doses needed, 1st doses requested and politics. The locals only know what they are getting for actual delivery less than a week before. The Gov. did have balls enough to admit that vaccine was being diverted from smaller clinics to the mass vaccination sites which are costing millions a week to fill cronies pockets. Berkshire County puts in their request every single week and the Massachusetts COVID Vaccination Program (MCVP) tells Berkshire County what they will or will not get. And don’t forget the Govs photo op at the Boston Baptist church where vaccine was also diverted to administer to the underserved. So this myth that whatever vaccine is requested is delivered, that is just not true. And BTW the MTA is grinding their axe with the gov over school reopening.

3rd, vaccine for pharmacies and VA come from totally different sources so you are mixing apples and prunes with that argument. Clinics such as BCC are reliant on the aforementioned source so the supply chain is totally different.

Last and not least, if Berkshire County or Pittsfield is so inept then why have they consistently been the leader in vaccine administration per capita? How foolish is someone to make this accusation in this column when week after week the Governor has pointed out that Berkshire County has been the running leader in vaccine administration.

It is sad that people will make this crap up just to try and discredit the Mayor or BHS or any other number of people you don’t like. The facts are the facts so stop this comedy show and get to real news.

At least the DA and Moon show has facts and behind it and is an adorable cat fight.

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Then came this from Louis:

My Pittsfield Covid saga. I’ve lived here all my life except for 13 years in the Marines. I was born here, raised here, moved back here with my wife, raised three children here, buried my wife here and I will probably die here.
I am age eligible for a Covid vaccine, I tried getting an appointment. I’m older than Yo-Yo Ma and am a cancer survivor.
I couldn’t get an appointment in Pittsfield or anywhere in Berkshire county.

I tried calling the Veterans Agent, I’ve not heard back and that was in January. I tried the visiting nurse group, nada. Tried the health department, nothing. I even called the mayors office twice, I got shined on by a pleasant woman on the phone. She did try snd transfer me but she hung up. I think that’s what she meant to do.
My sister lived in Princeton, MA. She died two years ago and I own her house and have all her belongings. I kept a phone at her house for the alarm and when I was there last week I got a call. It was a Covid nurse calling to see if she could schedule a vaccination for my sister.

I told her that my sister was dead and she asked me if I was age eligible for a vaccination and if I was vaccinated. I ended up getting the shot because of a Princeton Ma VNA.
I’d still be waiting if I relied on the City or the mayor or the health department.

———- ooo ———-

Merry & Bright

Just received a very nice text from MassGeneral Brigham stating that I was eligible for my vaccine. It stated that I could go on their “patient gateway” to book an appointment in Somerville, Ma. which secured the most doses and could get the shot today, or if that was not convenient I could check for other sites in that area later in the week. This text took me completely by surprise as I had not even begun to seek out an appointment.

As a resident of Pittsfield I have heard the nightmares of trying to get an appointment so I chose to wait a bit. Turns out that the reason I received this text is that my specialty doctor at Cooley Dickenson in Northampton fed his eligible patients into the website. Wonder why Berkshire Health System and their doctors are not doing the same? But then again this is why I choose to drive to Northampton for my care.

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Molly Is Lying

Just so people know, this person “flogging Molly” is lying.

MA does not track doses as administered by county, the MA system tracks doses as administered by resident address.
So if you live in Berkshire County, and you list you address as someplace in Berkshire County, and get the vaccine ANYWHERE else in the world and it is reported or you self report due to travel, you are counted in Berkshire county as vaccinated.

Here are just a few examples;
If you were in Florida for the winter, got vaccinated, came back to Berkshire County, upon arrival you didn’t quarantine but filled out a form saying you were vaccinated, gave proff, and listed your address as in Berkshire County on the form, you are counted as vaccinated for Berkshire County.

If you are a nurse, work in Albany and was vaccinated there, but live in Berkshire county, you are considered vaccinated for Berkshire County.

A vast majority of our vaccinations are “out of area” vaccinations listing Berkshire County as their county of residence (snow birds, second home owners, people getting easier access to vaccines elsewhere)
https://i.ibb.co/ZW39X5f/6-DAB881-D-9-E49-4329-BF8-F-B13934-C654-FD.jpg

Also please read the fine print on cumulative doses shipped by county.

It doesn’t include federal programs, long term care programs, or doses shipped to retail pharmacies. Berkshire county reports a high per capita shipment rate because they count long term care shipments, and other regions are outpacing us 3 and 4 to 1 on other shipment types.
https://i.ibb.co/L8yYcRx/2-EC46-E15-DBA8-43-BD-A6-D4-FC1-E8401-F7-C1.jpg

It’s pretty clear Flogging Molly is lying for the current administration. It makes you wonder why it is also clear that Molly doesn’t care if he or she tells the truth and will lie about easily verifiable stats in hopes no one will look it up.

———- ooo ———-

Flogging Molly, replying to Molly is Lying

Nice try but that’s a ridiculous argument. Due to travel restrictions most snowbirds haven’t even gone to Florida and those that have are still there so the number of people who were supposedly vaccinated outside Berkshire County is negligible. And the BCC clinic has had a significant number of people who traveled from Eastern Mass because of the vaccine accessibility here.

And your argument of vaccine shipped to the county doesn’t even make sense. The data is specifically the vaccine shipped just to clinics and Berkshire County surpasses almost all other counties proving the amazing work these clinics are doing here. And the evidence is in at least 3 of the Governor’s press conferences in which he specifically calls out Berkshire County as the most efficient in delivering vaccinations with only Barnstable County a close 2nd.\
Nice try with falsely interpreting the data because you have a hard on for the mayor.

———- ooo ———-

Fat Barry’s Sansabelt Pants

Just how wrong can you be?
The website is the responsibility of the state but the vaccine ordering for the county is the responsibility of the local governments or their designates.
The reason Berkshire county doesn’t have enough supply is only Berkshire county’s fault and that lies squarely with the mayor and the local department of health.
Here’s a simple question, if the vaccine is in such short supply why can people get it one county over so easily? But not here? Because each county is responsible for its ordering and we aren’t even in the game.

Flogging molly sounds a lot like Dimwit Barry.
Speaking of whom, anyone notice he’s gotten a lot fatter? Also what’s up with the lawsuit? How’s that working out for you?

———- ooo ———-

Floggin Molly

That’s bullshit. Orders are being placed weekly and as I said the state decides what we get.
And despite not getting as much as is ordered we are still leading the state for vaccinations so crisis here nitwit. And no this isn’t Barry. And I haven’t seen him so I’ll take your word he’s fatter.

———- ooo ———-

Molly Is Lying

Again you are lying. There are no travel restrictions that precluded anyone from traveling, most of the very limited travel restrictions were about quarantining once you arrived. Also Florida wasn’t any sort of issue for travel. Here’s a simple way to figure that out, look at all the Florida plates in the Berkshires. Look at all the articles about how people escaped to the Berkshires from NY, NJ. My neighborhood is about 50% second home owners, they flicked here, left as Covid slowed down and are now coming back to open for the spring and summer.

The comment about BCC is completely false. Even the people at BCC say, in articles, in the newspaper, they lack sufficient vaccine and don’t have appointments available.

The berkshire vaccine numbers include other vaccine doses that other counties do not include in their count. By doing so it artificially inflates the number of vaccines counted as shipped to Berkshire county. Also since we had such a horrific public health response to Covid with so many deaths in nursing homes, a concerted effort was made to ship to that patient base. We have lots of nursing homes so those numbers helped. When you have a captive audience of seniors desperate not to die, it makes dosing a lot easier

The numbers are not showing vaccination efficacy it shows how many people in a who claim residence in a county have been vaccinated, not that they were vaccinated here. If you ask for the repost of vaccination location compared to residence, you have to actual email for it. Over 47% of the people claiming Berkshire County as their residence have received their vaccination outside of Berkshire county.

A whopping 22% received their vaccination in Florida. So much for the snow birds not coming home.

All this proves, you are an absolute liar and a shill for this administration. I agree with others that you’re either Barry or one of the mayors lackeys.

———- ooo ———-

Sparta beat Athens, and it’s clear that the only winners with this level of incompetence in Berkshire County, especially in Pittsfield, the county seat, are the lucky few who got their shots ahead of the line. The losers? Gotta mirror?

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“What wisdom can you find greater than kindness?” — Philosopher Jean-Jaques Rousseau.

“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”

LOVE TO ALL.

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