On December 9, 2020, the Governor provided an overview of Massachusetts’ plan for a COVID-19 vaccine. It is expected that the federal Food and Drug Administration will grant emergency use authorization for the Pfizer vaccine on December 10, and for the Moderna vaccine on December 17. Here is a link to the press release: https://www.mass.gov/news/baker-polito-administration-announces-initial-steps-for-covid-19-vaccine-distribution.

When a vaccine is approved, there will not be enough doses available for everyone at once, and so residents will get the vaccine in phases. Across the country, experts have been working on how to distribute limited vaccines in a fair, ethical, and transparent way with the goal of reducing serious illness and death, preserving the health care infrastructure, and addressing the needs of the most vulnerable first.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) and CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) have made recommendations regarding prioritization of vaccine. In Massachusetts, a COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Group was formed to include professionals from healthcare, community health, local public health, local and state government, community, academia, infectious diseases, geriatrics, pediatrics and other leaders. The Advisory Group made recommendations to the Governor about how to prioritize distribution of the vaccine in the Commonwealth, carefully considering the work of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) and CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), as well as other available materials. 

Please find more information about vaccine prioritization and other frequently asked questions at: mass.gov/covidvaccine.