Baker Set To Announce Vaccine Eligibility Timeline Wednesday

Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday will detail a timetable for opening up access to COVID-19 vaccines for the remainder of the state's residents still waiting to become eligible, the governor said in a tweet Tuesday night.

"Tomorrow morning, our administration will release the schedule for all remaining groups in MA's vaccine plan. Every resident will know when they are eligible for a vaccine. Thank you for making MA a national leader in the vaccination effort!" the governor tweeted.

The move comes a week after the Baker administration launched a new vaccine preregistration system, and as President Joe Biden is challenging all states to make COVID-19 vaccine available to all of their residents, regardless of age, health or occupation, by May. Baker had repeatedly said that the limits on the state's ability to vaccinate more groups has to do with supply, not capacity.

Officials said Tuesday they were told by the White House to expect 170,000 doses this week, up from 150,000 last week.

To the south, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced Tuesday that residents aged 45 and older will be eligible to schedule COVID-19 vaccinations beginning Friday and all residents aged 16 and older will become eligible on April 5.

As it waited for vaccines to be developed and approved for use, the Baker administration developed a three-phase vaccination plan. It's currently in the middle of Phase 2, having only recently expanded eligibility to residents 65 and older on Feb. 18 followed by K-12 educators last Thursday.

Remaining groups to become eligible include other "essential workers," such as transit and grocery employees, residents with one underlying health risk, and then the general public.