State launches phone service to schedule senior citizens’ COVID-19 vaccinations

For senior citizens who don’t want to mess around with Internet scheduling and still want to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the state has launched a new telephone service.

The COVID-19 Vaccine Scheduling Resource Line is a dedicated telephone line available to residents 75 and older. The call center will be staffed with over 500 representatives who can provide live phone support to assist residents with booking an appointment. 

The line will be open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Live call center workers will be available in English and Spanish, and 100 additional languages will be available through translators. Call center workers will have the same access to appointments that users will see on the public website. 

The line can be accessed by dialing 2–1–1 and selecting the prompt for “Help Scheduling a Vaccine Appointment.” Residents may have to wait on the line given expected high call volume. 

Once connected with a representative, the caller will be asked to confirm he/she is 75 or older and either has no internet access or otherwise cannot use the website to book an appointment. Call-takers will then use the state’s COVID-19 vaccine site map to find nearby locations and determine whether appointments are available. 

If no appointments are available within a distance the caller can travel, then callers will be offered the chance to be placed on a call-back list for the mass vaccination sites. Residents will receive a call-back as appointments become available at these sites. 

Due to high demand and limited supply, callers may experience significant wait times.

The vaccine scheduling website is www.mass.gov/COVIDVaccine.