The Baker administration on Friday announced it will end the Massachusetts COVID-19 vaccine pre-registration system by the end of the month.
State officials in March launched an online pre-registration system for eligible residents looking to book appointments to get the vaccine in an effort to facilitate what was then a high demand for the shots due to the number of people who were eligible. Officials say the COVID-19 vaccine finder website, vaxfinder.mass.gov, which lets users browse more than 900 vaccine locations across the state, will remain available.
Gov. Charlie Baker also on Friday announced that the state will expand its Homebound Vaccination Program to support at-home vaccinations for all eligible residents who are unable to travel to a vaccine site, which will be begin on May 24.
The pre-registration form, posted on vaccinesignup.mass.gov, will be closed to new submissions starting on May 25. Those who are awaiting appointments through this system will be contacted with an opportunity to schedule the shot before the system it completely phased out on May 31.
“All remaining people who preregistered will be given an opportunity to book before the system closes,” officials said.
The online system helped schedule hundreds of thousands of COVID shots in the early days of the rollout; but officials now have enough doses to meet demand, which has in part contributed to a slowdown in new vaccinations.
There have been a total of 7,344,364 COVID vaccine doses administered in Massachusetts to date, and 3,330,308 residents are now fully vaccinated. More than 56% of the state have received at least one dose, and roughly 46% of residents are fully vaccinated.
State expands in-home COVID vaccination program in Massachusetts – masslive.com
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