Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Baker-Polito Administration Announces Preregistration System for Mass Vaccination Locations to Launch Friday, Updates on Dose Distribution in the Commonwealth & Designated Vaccine Clinic Days for K-12 Educators, Staff & Child Care Workers
The Baker-Polito Administration today announced a new preregistration signup tool will be available for the state’s 7 mass vaccination sites starting Friday, March 12. The new system will make it easier to request and book an appointment at a mass vaccination site at a nearby location when they are available. More sites will be added to the preregistration system in the coming weeks. When preregistration launches on Friday, it will replace the current booking platforms for mass vaccination sites for online booking. The COVID-19 Vaccine Scheduling Resource Line will be available to help residents without internet access or with difficulty using the internet with the preregistration process.
The Administration also announced the weekly distribution of vaccine doses statewide for different providers, reminding residents that there are 170 public vaccination sites statewide in addition to health systems that are offering appointments to their patients.
More information on vaccine sites can be found at: vaxfinder.mass.gov
The Administration also announced four dedicated educator days at mass vaccination sites and updates on vaccine distribution channels.
Preregistration System
Partnering with the Google Cloud Team, the Administration will launch a preregistration system for mass vaccination sites only starting Friday, March 12. This tool will be available at mass.gov/COVIDvaccine.
Preregistration will allow eligible residents to book an appointment at one of the state’s 7 mass vaccination sites.
Details on the Preregistration Process:
Eligible residents will complete the online form at mass.gov/COVIDVaccine to request to book an appointment at a mass vaccination site nearby.
After completing the form, residents will get a confirmation via their preferred method of contact (text, e-mail, phone) and receive a weekly update about their status. Residents may opt out of their preregistration at any time if they secure an appointment elsewhere.
When an appointment becomes available at a mass vaccination site, the resident will be notified and will have 24 hours to accept the appointment once it is offered to them. If an appointment is not accepted after 24 hours, the resident will go back into the queue to wait for another appointment.
To accommodate older residents and others who are unable to use the form, the preregistration form allows family members, caregivers or other companions to fill out the form on behalf of someone else. Residents who do not have internet access or someone to fill the form out for them can call 2-1-1 to preregister.
Available appointments will be offered to residents based on their vaccine eligibility and the availability of appointments at mass vaccination sites nearby. Initially, this program is only for the state’s 7 mass vaccination sites. More sites will be added to the pre-registration system in April.
Massachusetts receives a very limited supply of vaccine from the federal government each week. Due to high demand and limited supply, there are only a small number of appointments for eligible residents. Given the limited number of available appointments due to constraints on vaccine supply, it could take several weeks for eligible, preregistered residents to receive a notification about an available appointment.
In addition to preregistering for a mass vaccination appointment, eligible residents are encouraged to book vaccine appointments at any of the 170 public vaccine sites across the Commonwealth. The state has also allocated a supply of doses to certain health care providers, hospitals and community health centers that will provide instructions to their patients on their vaccine process.
Once the preregistration system is launched on Friday, March 12, it will replace the weekly appointment release on Thursdays for mass vaccination sites only. Eligible residents will need to preregister online or contact the call center to request an appointment for a mass vaccination site.
The preregistration system will not impact this week’s appointment release on Thursday, March 11 for mass vaccination sites. Residents should follow the usual process on March 11 to secure an appointment as a mass vaccination site.
Other Ways to Access a Vaccine Appointment:
v Eligible residents are encouraged to look for appointments at any of the state’s 170 public vaccine sites by searching vaxfinder.mass.gov.
