Phase 2 COVID-19 Vaccination Information
Today is March 12th. COVID Vaccination Phase 2, with those Individuals Ages 65+ or Individuals with 2+ Certain Medical Conditions, including Asthma.
Local clinics will be held at the St. Elizabeth’s of Hungary Church in North Adams.
Notice: please do not use someone else’s private link to sign up for a clinic. If anyone signs up for a first dose in a clinic designated for second doses, their appointment will be cancelled. We’ve had a lot of disappointed people in the past several weeks, but we cannot honor those appointments. Please never use a link forwarded to you from someone else! The best way to make an appointment is to use the direct link on www.getvaccinatedberkshires.org. Clinic appointment opening times will always be posted on the website at least 6-12 hours in advance.
Baker-Polito Administration Announces K-12 Educators, Child Care Workers and K-12 School Staff Eligible for Vaccine Appointments Starting March 11th & Vaccine Appointment Availability for Next Week
BOSTON — 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.
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.
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 11th 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:
Eligible residents are encouraged to look for appointments at any of the state’s 170 public vaccine sites by searching vaxfinder.mass.gov.
Educator Vaccination Days
On March 11, pursuant to a federal directive, approximately 400,000 K-12 educators, childcare workers and K-12 school staff are eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccine in Massachusetts.
K-12 educators, childcare workers and K-12 school staff may receive vaccine from any of the 170 public vaccine sites available on mass.gov/COVIDvaccine.
In an effort to support the Biden-Harris Administration’s directive for states to prioritize teacher vaccinations, the Administration will designate 4 days where the state’s 7 mass vaccination sites will only offer 1st dose appointments for K-12 educators, child care workers and K-12 school staff.
These dates are: Saturday, March 27, Saturday, April 3, Saturday, April 10, and Sunday, April 11
Workers in this group must use the pre-registration system to request an appointment at one of the seven mass vaccination sites and attest they are a K-12 educator, childcare worker or K-12 school staff.
All other vaccine providers (including Regional Collaboratives) are encouraged, but not required, to restrict their appointments to K-12 educators, child care workers and K-12 school staff on Saturday, March 27 , Saturday, April 3, Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11, for consistency. Providers may designate alternative dates, in lieu of the 4 dates designated by the State, if necessary.
Clinics may not restrict access to individuals who live or work in a particular area.
All vaccine providers (including regional collaboratives) must submit their dates for educator clinics by Tuesday, March 16. The Command Center will post the schedule for all clinics next week.
K-12 educators, childcare workers and K-12 school staff are urged to book appointments through mass.gov/COVIDvaccine beginning on March 11 as well as to book through the federal retail pharmacy program’s CVS website. Given the limited supply of vaccine, K-12 educators, childcare workers and K-12 school staff may not receive vaccine until mid-April or later.
Mass Vaccination Locations:
- Springfield, Eastfield Mall
- Natick, Natick Mall
- Foxboro, Gillette Stadium
- Danvers, Doubletree Hotel
- Boston, Fenway Park (through 3/27) and Hynes Convention Center (starting 3/18)
- Roxbury, Reggie Lewis Center
- Dartmouth, Former Circuit City