Tired of playing vaccine appointment roulette? State will offer pre-registration

If you’ve found yourself spending too much time looking for a COVID-19 vaccination, a new system for booking appointments is starting Friday.

Gov. Charlie Baker announced a new pre-registration signup tool for COVID-19 vaccine appointments Wednesday, which is meant to simplify the process. Anyone may sign up, and the system will notify you via email, text, or phone call when you are eligible for the vaccine.

Pre-registrants will get a weekly update on their status, as well as an alert that their time to select an appointment is nearing.

“The pre-registration system is designed to make it easier for residents to secure an available appointment and will soon replace the current process of large numbers of appointments being posted online on Thursday mornings,” Baker said during Wednesday’s news conference “Beyond mass vaccination sites there are thousands of vaccination appointments available every week at different sites.”

The state is also designating dates for teachers and other school staffers to receive their shots at the seven mass vaccination sites across the state. Those dates are: Saturday, March 27; Saturday April 3; Saturday April 10; and Sunday April 11.

Baker also announced a new regional vaccination collaborative at the former McCloskey Middle School in Uxbridge, serving 12 towns, including Grafton. The site will open next week. At its peak, the new site should be able to administer up to 750 vaccinations a day. 

The new system will be available at mass.gov/COVIDvaccine Friday. The state’s Vaxfinder website will remain in place to help users schedule appointments at non-mass vaccination sites.