WORCESTER, Mass. - A COVID-19 vaccination clinic for local grocery store employees went off as scheduled on Wednesday.

The United Food and Commercial Workers [UFCW] Local 1445 held a mobile vaccination clinic at the Stop and Shop on West Boylston Street in Worcester.

The union partnered with local health and municipal agencies to get their members from the three Stop and Shop locations in Worcester -- who have been working in grocery stores throughout the entire pandemic -- vaccinated.

The clinic was originally scheduled to administer the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. However, after the CDC and FDA recommended a pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Tuesday, the union and the Worcester Department of Health and Human Services were able to switch the clinic to the two-dose Pfizer vaccine. 

UFCW Local 1445 Political Director Gabriel Camacho, "There's been a lot of talk especially when the pandemic broke out of how essential workers are heroes. However nothing was done to get them vaccinated. So we as a union in partnership with local government and community organizations were able to do this. We got a hold of the Equity Clinic and through some miracle they were able to get the Pfizer vaccination so we said let's continue with the clinic today​."

Camacho added that they expect to administer at least 100 vaccines on Wednesday at the West Boylston Street Stop and Shop and that other union-sponsored clinics for front-line grocery store workers are in the planning stages.