Friday, April 30, 2021

Pioneer Valley COVID Vaccine Update

Massachusetts Phase 2 Covid vaccination eligibility currently includes those age 55+ and PreK-12 educators/workers, and those with certain medical conditions. Everyone age 16+ will be eligible beginning on April 19 (at present, only the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for ages 16-17). 

The state's pre-registration system (https://vaccinesignup.mass.gov) for mass vaccination sites includes Eastfield Mall in Springfield. A new mass site at the Big E in W. Springfield will open April 20. The governor announced on April 7 that people contacted through the pre-registration system will also be able to make appointments at the Northampton-Amherst Vaccination Collaborative. 

Other sites in our area include those listed below, which can be checked periodically for availability by using the direct links.  

Baystate Health-Holyoke (near Holyoke Mall):
https://workwell.apps.baystatehealth.org/guest/covid-vaccine/register?r=mafirstresp210121

UMass Campus Center (appointments drop Fridays at 4pm): https://www.umass.edu/coronavirus/vaccine

Castle of Knights-Rt. 33, Chicopee (new Chicopee-S. Hadley-Granby-Holyoke collaborative site, open by appt. Wed-Fri): https://home.color.com/vaccine/register/chicopee

Northampton-Amherst Vaccine Collaborative (these sites are meant to be added to the state pre-registration system soon) 

Eastfield Mall-Springfield (open now), Big E-West Springfield (opens April 20): PRE-REGISTER at: https://vaccinesignup.mass.gov to book appointments for state mass vaccination sites; new appointments usually drop on Thursdays. Those who sign up for preregistration will receive weekly updates and be notified about available appointments at mass vaccination locations; once notified, you'll have 24 hours to accept and book the appointment. The practice has been to provide an appointment date for the second shot at the time you get the first one. You can opt out at any time if you find an appointment elsewhere.

Pharmacies: Appointments may also be found at CVS, Walgreens, Big Y, and Stop & Shop, through their registration systems. A map from vaccinefinder.org shows pharmacy locations, or use the state vaccine location map below.

VACCINE RESOURCES

State vaccine locator site: https://vaxfinder.mass.gov 

State vaccine location map: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-vaccination-locations#map-of-vaccination-sites-

Other vaccine locator sites created by volunteer groups: https://www.macovidvaccines.com and https://vaccinatema.com  

Dr. B standby list, notification signup for for extra doses: https://hidrb.com/ 

Text and email notification systems created by volunteers:
https://www.covidvaccinetexts.com and https://macovidvaxhelp.com 

Pioneer Valley Vax (@ValleyVax) monitors and posts local availability on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ValleyVax (Join Twitter and follow @ValleyVax on Twitter for notices)

Massachusetts Vaccination Help: A Step-by-Step Guide (created by volunteers): https://macovidvaxhelp.com/resources?locale=en   

Call the State Resource Line at 2-1-1 for assistance if you don't have internet or are having difficulty navigating booking systems online