The next step at Bay State’s implementation of three-phase vaccination starts Monday, giving people 55 and older the eligibility to apply the vaccine. People with at least one qualifying health condition that puts them at greater risk for the coronavirus will also become eligible.
The step forward for Massachusetts marks the fifth and final group in the state’s second phase of deployment and, just two weeks later, on April 19, all residents aged 16 and over will have access to the vaccine.
Just over 20% of the state’s population, or more than 1.4 million Massachusetts residents, have been fully vaccinated since Sunday night.
Residents can use the newly launched Commonwealth pre-registration system to receive notification as soon as they are qualified for the first dose, make an appointment at a mass vaccination site.
State officials also added more notable health conditions to the list of what qualifies for early vaccine eligibility, including cystic fibrosis, dementia, type 1 diabetes, HIV infection, hypertension, liver disease, thalassemia and substance use disorder.
The full list now shows:
Receive email alerts from Boston.com:
Subscribe and receive news and updates about coronavirus, from our newsroom to your inbox.