Gov. Charlie Baker announced on March 17 that all Massachusetts residents 16 and older will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccination starting April 19, and older residents will be eligible even sooner. On March 22 all residents aged 60 and older will become eligible, as will certain essential workers, and, starting April 5, people 55 and older will be able to get the vaccine.
Baker said the dates are based on the federal government’s recent assurance of increased vaccine supply to all states, including the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The list of essential workers who will become eligible on March 22 includes restaurant, food service, retail, agricultural, grocery and convenience store, transportation, utility, public works, and sanitation workers. The full list is available at mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-vaccinations-for-certain-workers.
Anyone 16 or older can now preregister for appointments at one of the seven mass vaccination sites in the state, including Gillette Stadium and the Natick Mall. More sites will be added to the preregistration system in April. The preregistration form includes date of birth and medical conditions, and the system will use that information to determine when a preregistered person is eligible for the vaccine.
Once eligible, preregistered residents will be notified when an appointment becomes available. The notification will come as a text, email, or phone call, depending on which option was chosen during preregistration. If the offered appointment is not accepted within 24 hours, the resident’s name will go back into the appointment queue.
The preregistration system is currently the only way to schedule an appointment at one of the mass vaccination sites. However, residents can still search for available appointments at pharmacies and health care providers on the state website at vaxfinder.mass.gov.
Even though residents may become eligible on a specific date, state vaccination websites caution that it may take weeks before appointments become available due to vaccine supply, which remains limited.
For more information
mass.gov/info-details/preregister-for-a-covid-19-vaccine-appointment
