Residents 65 and older, people with certain conditions, eligible for COVID-19 vaccine immediately

Individuals ages 65 and over and those with two or more certain medical conditions, including Asthma, can visit www.mass.gov/covidvaccine to start booking an appointment for vaccine beginning Thursday, February 18. 

Almost 1 million individuals are newly eligible for vaccine.

Individuals 16 and older with two or more of certain medical conditions (defined below) are also immediately eligible for vaccine.

In concert with CDC guidelines, the Commonwealth has adopted the list of conditions that cause individuals to be at an increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Massachusetts has also identified moderate to severe asthma as an eligible medical condition.

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

Learn more from CDC: COVID-19: People with Certain Medical Conditions

Thursday morning, over 70,000 appointments are scheduled to be posted at mass vaccination sites (Eastfield Mall in Springfield, Double Tree Hotel in Danvers, Fenway Park in Boston and Gillette Stadium in Foxboro). Vaccines are also available by appointment at CVS Pharmacy in North Grafton.

Details for booking can be found via the COVID-19 Vaccine Finder, which enables residents to search for a vaccination location and view appointment availability before scheduling. The tool can be accessed via the state’s vaccination website at www.mass.gov/COVIDvaccine or directly at https://vaxfinder.mass.gov.

Individuals that are unable to access appointments via the internet can call 211 and follow the prompts for vaccine appointments.

There are currently over 170 vaccination locations across the Commonwealth. Currently, almost 95 percent of the population lives within a 45-minute drive of a mass vaccination site or within 30 minutes of a regional (high volume site) — not counting the pharmacies, provider and community health center vaccination sites.