Most vAx eligible April 19
Gov plans for influx of doses
With “hundreds of thousands” more coronavirus vaccine doses expected to flow into the state in the coming weeks, Gov. Charlie Baker released an updated timeline that will make all Massachusetts residents ages 16 and older eligible by April 19.
“The arrival of more vaccine from the federal government means we will be able to move faster to get doses to our residents,” Baker said at a Brockton press conference shortly after his office released the new timeline on Wednesday. “This is long overdue and welcome. We’re all eager to get back to something like normal and see our friends and loved ones again.”
Public-facing grocery store, transit, public health, funeral and restaurant workers are among the essential workers who will become eligible with the next group on March 22, when residents ages 60 and older will also qualify.
On April 5, residents ages 55 and up and those with one medical comorbidity like moderate-to-severe asthma, cancer, certain heart conditions, organ transplant, obesity, pregnancy, smoking and type 2 diabetes will qualify.
Eligibility then opens up to the general public on April 19.
“Back in December we announced that the general population would become eligible sometime in late April or early May, and that qualified workers would be eligible several weeks before that,” Baker said. “Today Massachusetts remains on track to meet those original milestones.”
The announcement came the same day Massachusetts was expected to fully vaccinate its 1 millionth person and less than a week after President Biden directed states to make all adults eligible for vaccines by May 1.
As the vaccines give “a real sense of hope for people” Baker cautioned, “we can’t let our guard down and we certainly shouldn’t do so when we’re so close to the finish line.”
The Republican governor declined to go into specifics, but referenced an “encouraging” Tuesday call with the feds.
“I think we are going to see hundreds of thousands of doses,” he said.
The supply increase led him to prioritize additional age groups not initially in his plan.
“There’s a very strong and important correlation between COVID and age and we believe adding these groups by age will help us vaccinate more of our most vulnerable population faster,” Baker said.
The state this week is receiving a modest bump in the supply of first doses for a total of 170,000, up from about 155,000 in the weeks prior. The total includes an unexpected 8,000 doses of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Baker has been critical of the slow production of vaccines by drug companies Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, all of which over-promised and underdelivered on initial supply estimates provided to Congress.
Sign-ups through the state’s pre-registration system for appointments at the seven mass vaccination sites can be made at mass.gov/ COVIDVaccine. More sites will be added in April, Baker said.
“I know everybody’s anxious about this, but it’s important to remember that everyone who wants a vaccine will get one,” Baker said.
Officials also announced they would be distributing $27.4 million in federal funds for to increase vaccine trust, acceptance and administration rates in the 20 hardesthit communities, including Brockton — where Baker toured a vaccination center on Wednesday — and Boston.