Cooperation is going to be key when it comes to getting the COVID-19 vaccine into the arms of people across Franklin County, local health officials say.

Starting Monday, Phase 2 of the governor’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout will begin. People 75 years old and older will be the first priority group in this phase, with those 65 years old and older moving into the second priority group. In addition, people with two or more underlying conditions can be vaccinated during Phase 2.

At the same time the state announced that Phase 2 would start sooner than originally planned, it also announced a “dramatic reduction” in access to the vaccine by local public health clinics organized by boards of health.

On the other hand, the local hospital, health centers and pharmacies will be ramping up their distribution of vaccines.

“Things are changing by the hour, though, so that could change quickly,” Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) Director of Community Services Phoebe Walker told the county’s boards of health and other public health officials this week.

Walker said the state currently plans to cap the number of doses that public health clinics — like the one at the John Zon Community Center in Greenfield — receive at 100 per week. So while the reduction is happening, local boards of health and public health officials are working to come up with a “rock-solid” plan for when there are no constraints on the vaccine supply.

“Pharmacies will be vaccinating, some already are, as well as larger providers like Baystate Franklin Medical Center and Valley Medical Group during Phase 2,” Walker said. “Baystate, for instance, will be vaccinating those in their systems.”

COVID-19 vaccines for Baystate’s primary care patients who are 75 and older will be available at Baystate Franklin in late February, while the Community Health Center of Franklin County and Valley Medical Group will begin vaccinating their patients 75 and older next week. Patients who are eligible will be contacted by Baystate Franklin, the Community Health Center and Valley Medical Group, so they should not call those facilities to make appointments.

FRCOG Emergency Preparedness Program Manager Tracy Rogers said officials are looking at pooling the limited number of COVID-19 vaccine doses each week, and possibly having one or two sites where people can come from throughout the county, like the John Zon Community Center. She said the center plans to stay open through Phase 2.

Walker said as Phase 2 rolls out Monday, officials are already looking ahead to Phase 3 by seeking more sites and hoping many more doses will be coming to Franklin County at that point or earlier.

Deerfield Board of Health member Trevor McDaniel, who is also a selectman, said he is concerned that when more doses come to the county, if it isn’t prepared, it will result in a bottleneck effect.

“Before we start getting more vaccines, we need to make sure we have enough managers, enough people to give vaccines, enough people trained and ready to go,” McDaniel said. “We can’t have one person trying to handle everything. We have to err on the side of large-scale because when the flood gates open, and they will, we have to be ready.”

Walker said securing sufficient manpower is a nationwide problem, but FRCOG is working with towns to make sure efforts are “scaled up” and everyone is ready.

Registered nurse Sheila Litchfield, who represents the five towns in the Hawlemont Regional School District, said more sites, more vaccine and more personnel are needed, and while all agreed that the John Zon Community Center is a nice, central location, the city will need lots of cooperation to scale up vaccine distribution.

“We’re also looking at creating a hotline with a recorded message that lets people know about the sites, when we have them, how to sign up for a vaccine and so on,” Walker said.

Walker said there will be public and private clinics as the state and county move through the phases, and eventually, when the weather is warmer, there will most likely be large-scale drive-thru clinics, like many towns hold for flu shots.

FRCOG Emergency Preparedness Planner Laurie Solomon said the agency is also working with the Medical Reserve Corps (Franklin and Berkshire counties), which currently has more than 100 volunteers who have been accepted, and more than 100 pending. Those numbers include both medical and non-medical personnel. Medical personnel would help administer vaccines and monitor people, while non-medical personnel would assist with security and registration and help with traffic, among other duties.

Bernardston Selectboard member Stanley Garland said that while there are still many unknowns — where sites will be located, who contacts people about vaccines, etc. — answers seem to be coming in steadily.

Health officials said they will work together to have as many answers to questions concerning vaccines as possible by mid-February. They will be visiting potential vaccination sites over the next couple of weeks to see how big they are, how they can get people to socially distance, and how many vaccines they can administer at them.

“We’re making steady progress,” Walker said.

Reach Anita Fritz at 413-772-9591 or afritz@recorder.com.