Thursday, December 24, 2020
When can you get the COVID-19 vaccine?
Learn where you will fit into the COVID-19 vaccine distribution timeline.
The state's Department of Public Health has developed a vaccine distribution timeline after extensive consultation with the Massachusetts Vaccine Advisory Group, made up of leaders from health care, the faith community, community organizations, local government, and others.
The timeline reflects several priorities: protecting our most vulnerable, maintaining health care system capacity, and addressing inequities in health care access and COVID-19 burden.
Vaccine distribution in MA will occur in a phased approach:
Phase 1 (December 2020 – February 2021)
Listed in order of priority:
Clinical and non-clinical health care workers doing direct and COVID-facing care
Including- COVID-19 testers; COVID-19 vaccinators; Medical Reserve Corps who are called up to vaccinate or other COVID facing direct care work; COVID facing Hospice/palliative care professionals; COVID facing laboratorians; COVID facing imaging professions
Long term care facilities, rest homes and assisted living facilities
Emergency medical services, police, and fire
Including: all interfacility transport workers, MedFlight staff
Congregate care settings
Including: corrections and shelters
Home-based health care workers
Health care workers doing non-COVID-facing care
Including: Dentists/dental students (unless routinely working with COVID-19 positive or suspected patients such as Oral Surgeons covering the ER, in which case should be consider COVID-facing); Behavioral health clinicians not already covered in congregate care or direct care; Non- COVID facing Laboratorians; Blood donation workers; Organ donation procurement worker; Hospice/palliative care professionals; Non-COVID facing Imaging Professionals
Phase 2 (February-March 2021)
Listed in order of priority:
Individuals with 2+ co-morbid conditions (high risk for COVID-19 complications)
Other workers
Including: early education, K-12, transit, grocery, utility, food and agriculture, sanitation, public works and public health workers, vaccine development workers, food pantry workers, Uber/Lyft/ride share services (under transit/transportation workers), convenience store workers (under grocery workers)
Adults 65+
Individuals with one co-morbid condition
Phase 3 (Starting April 2021)
The vaccine is expected to be available to the general public.
