Statement of AARP Massachusetts Mike Festa as State Launches Pre-Registration System for COVID vaccine

The following statement from AARP Massachusetts was released March 10, 2021.

Statement of AARP Massachusetts Mike Festa as State Launches Pre-Registration System for COVID vaccine

“On behalf of our 775,000 members and all older Massachusetts residents, we thank Governor Baker for establishing a new preregistration signup system for the state’s seven mass vaccination sites.  The new system is designed to make it easier to request and book an appointment at a mass vaccination site when they are available.  

We cannot stress enough how eager older people are in Massachusetts to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, which offers so much promise for a return to normalcy. There is incredible demand from our members for more information about when, where and how they can get a vaccine. We are very pleased that the COVID-19 Vaccine Scheduling Resource Line will be available to help residents without internet access or with difficulty using the internet with the preregistration process. 

AARP Massachusetts has been urging policymakers to prioritize the vaccination of older Americans because of the risk they face from COVID-19.  Since the start of the pandemic, nearly 95% of the deaths from COVID-19 have been among people 50 and older.

The science has clearly shown that the older people are, the higher risk they face if they contract COVID-19.

We continue to support the prioritization of older Americans in the vaccine allocation process.”

 Mike Festa
AARP Massachusetts State Director