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What is the Current Status of COVID-19 Vaccination on Cape Cod?

Updated 1/25/21

Health officials across Barnstable County have been receiving many questions regarding vaccine distribution. Understandably, residents want to know when they will be eligible and where will they need to go to be vaccinated.

WHAT WE WANT YOU TO KNOW

The Commonwealth has been carefully releasing information as the strategy and infrastructure is determined for the phased approach of vaccine distribution. The timeline reflects several priorities: protecting our most vulnerable, maintaining health care system capacity and addressing inequities in health care access and the COVID-19 burden.

Barnstable County Health Officials are working with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) and obtaining guidance in order to best support local boards of health representing the fifteen towns on Cape Cod. The County and the Local Boards of Health are in constant communication and meet regularly to discuss this roll out.

Below, please see a summary of the details we have thus far. We invite you to share this information widely.

WHAT PHASE ARE WE IN NOW?

We are currently in Phase 1 . The Baker- Polito Administration expanded vaccine access to all eligible residents in Phase 1 effective January 21.

The following details regarding the phases of COVID-19 vaccine rollout are taken from www.mass.gov.

PHASE 1: December 2020 – February 2021

Clinical and non-clinical health care workers doing direct and COVID-facing care (currently in process)

–Includes: COVID-19 testers, staff of test sites, urgent care centers, other clinics, school nurses, and public health nurses performing COVID-19 testing; COVID-19 vaccinators and support staff for a COVID vaccination clinic including pharmacists, pharmacy interns, and pharmacy technicians, school nurses, and public health nurses supporting COVID-19 vaccination; Medical Reserve Corps who are called up to vaccinate or other COVID facing direct care work; COVID facing Hospice/palliative care professionals; COVID facing laboratorians; COVID facing imaging professions; emergent employees (manufacturing COVID vaccine)

Long term care facilities, rest homes and assisted living facilities (currently in process)

Emergency medical services, police, and fire (currently in process)

–Includes: all interfacility transport workers, MedFlight staff, college/university campus police and 911 dispatch employees .

Congregate care settings

–Includes: corrections and shelters

Home-based health care workers

–Includes: PT/OT/SLP therapists who work with medically complex home students.

Health care workers doing non-COVID-facing care

–Includes: Dentists/dental students (unless routinely working with COVID-19 positive or suspected patients such as Oral Surgeons covering the ER, in which case should be considered COVID-facing); Medical students (unless routinely working with COVID-19 positive or suspected patients, in which case should be considered COVID-facing); Inpatient and outpatient physical therapists (unless routinely working with COVID-19 positive or suspect patients, in which case should be considered COVID-facing); Interpreters who work in hospitals (unless routinely working with COVID-19 positive or suspected patients, in which case should be considered COVID-facing); Behavioral health clinicians not already covered in congregate care or direct care; Non- COVID facing Laboratorians; Blood donation workers; Organ donation procurement worker; Hospice/palliative care professionals; Non-COVID facing Imaging Professionals; Dialysis center workers and patients; Audiologists and speech and language pathologists (unless routinely working with COVID-19 positive or suspected patients, in which case should be considered COVID-facing); Podiatrists (unless routinely working with COVID-19 positive or suspected patients, in which case should be considered COVID-facing). PLEASE NOTE: Individuals who do not come into contact with patients (e.g. back office, remote work, administrative staff who do not come into contact with patients, laboratory researchers who do not come into contact with patients) are not prioritized in Phase 1 and should be prioritized in Phase 2 or Phase 3 depending on each individual’s age, comorbidity status, or other worker category.

Phase I Vaccination Settings:

–Most health care workers will be vaccinated at their place of employment.

–First responders can visit mass.gov/FirstResponderVaccine for COVID-19 vaccine locations and more information.

–Individuals living and working in long term care will be vaccinated as part of the Federal Pharmacy Partnership Program.

–Vaccination for individuals in other congregate settings (e.g., group homes, shelters, corrections) will be coordinated by the management of those facilities.

–Many additional vaccination administration sites will be made available for other populations.

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PHASE 2: February-March 2021 

Announced January 25, 2021 – Phase 2 of the vaccination schedule will begin Feb. 1 (Monday) for people age 75+. Later in February, age 65 +and people with 2+ co-morbidities will be eligible – depending on vaccine supply from federal government. Watch Gov. Baker’s update at https://youtu.be/P9QeH2UyEqs

Listed in order of priority:

Individuals  75+ 

–Adults 65+, Individuals with 2+ co-morbid conditions(those that are at increased risk for severe infection)

–Other workers including: early education, K-12, transit, grocery, utility, food and agriculture, restaurant and cafe workers; employees across the food, beverages, agriculture, consumer goods, retail, and foodservice sectors; meatpackers; sanitation, public works and public health workers, vaccine development workers, food pantry workers, Uber/Lyft/ride share services/pharmacy delivery drivers (under transit/transportation workers), workers in the passenger ground transportation industry (e.g. paratransit for people with disabilities, food delivery, non-urgent medical transport; convenience store workers (under grocery workers); water and wastewater utility staff.

Individuals with one co-morbid condition

 

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PHASE 3: Starting April 2021

At this time the vaccine is expected to be available to the general public.

–Includes: Higher education workers, including administrators, teaching and non-teaching staff; Bottled beverage industry workers; Veterinarians; Funeral directors and funeral workers.

Phase 3 vaccination settings:

Once the vaccine is available to the general public, public vaccine clinics will be available on the CDC’s interactive website: vaccinefinder.org. You will also be able to check with your primary care provider, local pharmacy or local health department.

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WHAT SEASONAL RESIDENTS NEED TO KNOW

Whether you are a full-time or a part-time resident, you are part of our community.  All of the same details regarding vaccine distribution apply to part-time residents.

Please continue to use our webpage as an information resource https://www.barnstablecountyhealth.org/covid-19/covid-19_vaccine_information