Governor Charlie Baker announced on Thursday that all those eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in Phase 1 of the state’s distribution program can now make an appointment for an injection.
This now includes homecare and non-COVID health workers who face health workers, as well as workers and residents of congregated care settings, such as shelters and prisons. The vaccine is now available to health professionals facing COVID, employees and residents of long-term care facilities and first responders, such as police, firefighters and paramedics.
Among those who fall into the category of home health workers are personal care attendants (PCAs); mental and behavioral health professionals who provide home treatment; aging of service agency staff who regularly visit home; and many other groups, according to the state list.
Non-COVID health professionals who now qualify for the vaccine include dentists, dental students and dental hygienists; hospital and outpatient physiotherapists; blood donation workers; audiologists and speech therapists; asthma and allergy specialists; chiropractors; acupuncturists; and a wide range of other professionals.
These are the complete lists of the Phase 1 groups newly eligible to receive the photos, according to the state:
Home health workers, including:
- PT / OT / SLP therapists working with home students with medical complexity
- Personal care attendants (PCAs)
- Home health team, hospice and home care agency conducting home visits
- Independent nurses and qualified nursing staff continuously conducting home visits
- Aged service agency staff conducting regular home visits
- State agency staff performing direct care at home, including DCF Emergency Response Workers, DMH case managers and DDS care coordinators
- Mental and behavioral health providers who provide home treatment (for example, integrated team ACCS, PACT, CBHI, ABA, ESP)
- Adult shelter workers and adult shelter groups doing work at home
- Independent therapists (physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists) performing work at home
- Home rest and individual / family support staff (DDS and Self-directed DDS)
Health professionals who perform non-COVID care, including:
- Dentists / dental students and dental hygienists (unless they routinely work with suspected or positive patients for COVID-19, such as oral surgeons covering the emergency room, in which case they should be considered COVID-oriented)
- Medical and nursing students (unless they routinely work with suspected or positive patients for COVID-19, in which case they should be considered COVID-oriented)
- Hospital and outpatient physiotherapists (unless they routinely work with positive or suspected COVID-19 patients, in which case they should be considered COVID-focused)
- Interpreters working in hospitals (unless they routinely work with suspected or positive patients for COVID-19, in which case they should be considered COVID-oriented)
- Behavioral health clinicians not yet covered by pooled care or direct care
- Faced non-COVID labs
- Blood donation workers
- Organ donation procurement workers
- Hospice / palliative care professionals
- Non-COVID-oriented imaging professionals
- Dialysis center workers and patients
- Audiologists and speech therapists (unless they routinely work with suspected or positive patients for COVID-19, in which case they should be considered COVID-oriented)
- Podiatrists and pedorthists (unless you routinely work with COVID-19 positive or suspect patients, in which case it should be considered COVID-oriented)
- Team of the Comprehensive Care Program for the Elderly (PACE)
- LDS treatment program staff (if the program is not residential)
- Asthma and allergy specialists
- Sleep Diagnostic Test Center Staff
- Chiropractors
- School nurses (except those who work as vaccinators / testers)
- Clergy members (if working in patient-oriented roles)
- Acupuncturists
Next, it will be Phase 2, scheduled to launch in February, according to the state. The phase includes, in order of priority, people with two or more comorbidities; those aged 75 or over; residents and employees of public and private low-income homes accessible to the elderly; early childhood education workers, K-12 schools, traffic, grocery, utilities, food and agriculture, restaurants and cafes; employees in the food, beverage, agriculture, consumer goods, retail and food service sectors; meat packers; sanitation, public works and public health workers; vaccine development workers; food pantry workers and volunteers; Uber, Lyft and other ride-sharing service employees; pharmacy delivery drivers; ground passenger transport workers; MassPort employees, except police officers; water and sewage utility employees; judicial system officials, such as judges, lawyers and clerks, but not court officials, who are listed as first respondents; medical supply chain workers; undertakers and undertakers; port workers and departure terminals; adults aged 65 and over; and people with a comorbidity.
Then, the state website says, Massachusetts is scheduled to reach Phase 3 of the April launch, when the vaccine “should be available to the general public”, including higher education workers, such as administrators, teachers and non-teachers; bottled beverage industry workers; and veterinarians.
“As soon as the vaccine is available to the general public, public vaccine clinics will be available on the CDC’s interactive website: vaccinefinder.org,” says the state website. “You can also check with your primary care provider, local pharmacy or local health department. “
Speaking during his regular briefing at the State House on Thursday, Baker said that “based on the number of people who were vaccinated, who were part of the first part of Phase 1, we now believe that anyone in Phase 1 should access the site , find a site near them, and it will be dosed. Because they [vaccination sites] are now open. All of them.”
The site to which it refers is mass.gov/covidvaccinemap, which provides information on eligibility and vaccination locations, as well as instructions for making appointments.
The state website also reminds residents that “the vaccine requires two doses. You should receive the same vaccine for doses one and two and therefore you should receive both doses at the same location. “
Travis Andersen can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe.