NEWS

Baker Administration Announces Vaccination Plan, Older Adults in Phase Two

Dec 9, 2020

The Baker-Polito Administration and the Department of Public Health 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.

While the first phase prioritizes healthcare workers, including nursing home workers and home health care providers, older adults (age 65+) have been placed in Phase Two. See the phased approach and priority recipients here.

As pointed out in a Kaiser Health News article addressing broader vaccine distribution plans at the national level, “Left off the list are family caregivers, who provide essential support to vulnerable older adults living in the community — an unpaid workforce of tens of millions of people.”

More information about the Baker Administration’s announcement, including frequently asked questions and a slide deck of the vaccine presentation, is available here.