Lawrence General Hospital nurse Delana Asaro pre-draws doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine before administering them on Jan. 11, 2021. Photo by Pat Greenhouse | Boston Globe Staff / Pool
Massachusetts should create a centralized COVID-19 vaccine sign-up system to let all residents pre-register for shots, confirm eligibility and receive a notification when an appointment becomes available at a nearby location, members of the state’s congressional delegation said Tuesday in a letter to Gov. Charlie Baker.
“A disjointed and cumbersome sign-up process has left seniors confused and unable to access desperately needed vaccine appointments, and the disproportionate reliance on mass vaccination sites has left appointments unfilled with large portions of our most vulnerable populations unserved,” the Democratic lawmakers wrote in the letter to the Republican governor.
The letter was signed by U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey and U.S. Reps. Katherine Clark, James McGovern, Lori Trahan, Jake Auchincloss, Seth Moulton, Ayanna Pressley, Stephen Lynch, and William Keating.
“We remain deeply concerned that the absence of a centralized pre-registration system for vaccine appointments has contributed to a slow and inequitable deployment of vaccines in Massachusetts,” the lawmakers added.
The Baker administration last week launched an online tool designed to make it easier for residents to find COVID-19 vaccination locations.
The COVID-19 Vaccine Finder lets individuals search for locations near them by entering their ZIP code, city or town name, or the name of a vaccination location. Residents can also filter results by site type, such as mass vaccination locations, locations run by local health departments, retail pharmacies or health care locations.
The finder displays all vaccination locations open to residents, but includes only appointment details for mass vaccination locations and some sites operated by local health departments.
The letter came a day before the number of vaccine-seekers exponentially increased, with the addition of all residents over 65 to the list of those eligible to receive the preventative shot. The Baker administration decision also includes residents and staff of low-income and affordable senior housing, and individuals with two or more health conditions that put them at higher risk from COVID-19. Appointments will begin opening Thursday.
Meanwhile, the administration announced an effort to target the state’s 20 hardest-hit communities – largely majority-minority cities like Chelsea, Fall River and Springfield – with multilingual outreach efforts aimed at encouraging people to get vaccinated.
The goal is to increase awareness of the vaccine’s safety and efficacy and to reduce barriers to vaccination, the administration said. As part of the initiative, state health officials will work with local officials and community- and faith-based groups.
The initiative includes hiring local residents for neighborhood and business outreach efforts, which may include a door-knocking campaign to provide information and answer questions about vaccine efficacy and safety.
Updated 12:05 p.m., Feb. 17, 2021: This story has been updated with information from State House News Service about the expansion of vaccine eligibility in Massachusetts.
