MA Will Open Coronavirus Vaccine Appointments To Educators

GLOUCESTER, MA — Educators across Massachusetts will be able to book COVID-19 vaccine appointments starting next week, news that follows on the heels of CVS opening appointments to teachers on Wednesday.

CVS overnight added educators in Massachusetts and Rhode Island to the list of eligible groups on its vaccine website. That move followed a directive from President Joe Biden, who has been pushing for a nationwide return to in-person learning.

At a Wednesday press conference in Gloucester, Baker said educators would be able to book appointments on the state website beginning March 11. He sidestepped questions about whether teachers will get a "fast lane" to appointments. He said there are still lots of people over age 65 and with health conditions that need to be vaccinated.

Baker and state education leaders have been pushing for a return to full in-person learning at all elementary schools in the state by April, which has been met by calls for prioritizing educators for the vaccine.

"We want everybody who is part of these groups to get vaccinated, but unless we get a significant amount of additional supply it's going to take a while for people to work their way through the system," Baker said.

Biden in a tweet Tuesday said the federal government will have enough vaccine supply for almost all U.S. residents by May. But Baker also highlighted the state is not getting access to more vaccine shipments right now. The state does have the capacity to deliver more vaccines — if they come.

"If the feds dramatically increase supply to help states deliver," Baker said. "That would be terrific."

Massachusetts won't get access to the new one-shot Johnson & Johnson version of the COVID-19 vaccine until the end of March, Baker said. The state has given out about 1.8 million vaccine shots so far, and only 600,000 of those are people who have received both doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

Massachusetts Teachers Association President Merrie Najimy said Tuesday she was "thrilled" that Biden recognized the importance to vaccinate educators, telling Baker "it's time to get with the program."