LATEST UPDATE ON REGISTRATION FOR VACCINES
A small subset of individuals who preregistered over the past few days will receive notification via their preferred method (phone, email, text) tomorrow morning with information about scheduling an appointment at one of the seven mass vaccination sites. All notified individuals will have 24 hours from time of notification to book their appointment.
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Individuals who receive notification via text or email are able to book their appointment with a unique link.
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Individuals who receive the phone notification (identified as the Commonwealth of MA), will be advised to call 2-1-1 to schedule their appointment. If the person misses the call, a voicemail will be left. If a voicemail is not set up or the mailbox is full, if the missed call number is returned, it will send the person directly to 2-1-1. The 2-1-1 representatives will be able to search for the individuals by their name and other identifying information.
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Individuals ages 75 and older who need to also book an appointment for their companion, should also call 2-1-1 to schedule both appointments once they are notified they are eligible to book an appointment.
Please note, if an individual does not schedule the appointment within the 24 hours or are offered a day/time that does not work for them, they will be placed back into the preregistration queue.
Timeline for Remaining Groups:
- March 22nd Residents 60+ and certain workers
- April 5th - Residents 55+ and those with one certain medical condition
- April 19th - General Public ages 16 years and older
Vaccine Locations and Preregistration:
More sites will be added to the preregistration system in the coming weeks. Preregistration will replace the current online booking platforms for mass vaccination sites. 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 preregistration tool will be available at mass.gov/COVIDvaccine. After completing the form, residents will get a confirmation via text, e-mail or 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, the resident will be notified and will have 24 hours to accept the appointment. 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 others to fill out the form. Residents who do not have internet access or someone to fill the form out for them can call 2-1-1 to preregister.
K-12 Educators, Child Care Workers and K-12 School Staff Eligible for Vaccine Appointments Starting March 11th
Educators may book appointments at all 170 sites currently open to eligible residents in Massachusetts by visiting www.mass.gov/covidvaccinemap.
Individuals 65 and over are now eligible:
Individuals 65 and over, including residents and staff of low income and affordable public and private senior housing are eligible to receive the vaccine. Visit www.mass.gov/covidvaccine
Eligibility has been expanded to include caregivers who assist and accompany seniors to a vaccination site. The caregiver should have an appointment on that day at that site to receive their vaccine. The best place to look is at getvaccinatedberkshires.org where advanced notice of open appointments is available.
Residents and staff of low income and affordable public and private senior housing can learn more about vaccination options here.
Individuals with 2+ Certain Medical Conditions also eligible now:
Individuals 16 and older with two or more certain medical conditions (defined below) are eligible for vaccine, effective February 18th.
Phase 2 eligible conditions:
- Asthma (moderate-to-severe)
- Cancer
- Chronic kidney disease
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Down Syndrome
- Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
- Obesity and severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 kg/m2 or higher)
- Pregnancy
- Sickle cell disease
- Smoking
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus
Registration is Required
Certain Local Councils on Aging Can Help
Councils on Aging available to assist older adults (and others) without internet access register for COVID vaccine clinics.
Williamstown - 413-458-8250
Adams - 413-743-8333
North Adams - 413-662-3125
Sheffield - 413-229-7037
Pittsfield - 413-499-9346
Great Barrington - 413-528-1881
Lee - 413-243-5545
Dalton - 413-684-2000
Lenox - (413) 637-4787
