Phase 1 List in Order of Priority

Phase 1 (December 2020 – February 2021)

Listed in order of priority:

1. Clinical and non-clinical health care workers doing direct and COVID-facing care, including:

  • 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)

  • Sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE)

  • Primary care providers

  • Skilled nursing facility rapid response teams

  • Visiting and contract nurses

2. Long term care facilities, rest homes and assisted living facilities

3. Emergency medical services, police, and fire, including:

  • All interfacility transport workers, MedFlight staff, college/university campus police, 911 Dispatch employees

  • Federal law enforcement (including FBI, DEA, Coast Guard, federal court officers, U.S. Marshals Service, ATF, Federal Reserve Police, Homeland Security investigators)

  • Court officers

  • Harbormasters/Assistant Harbormasters

  • Massport police

  • ABCC Inspectors

3. Congregate care settings, including:

  • Corrections and shelters (residents/inmates, staff, and volunteers)

  • Patients and staff of SUD treatment programs (if program is residential)

  • Patients and staff of Section 35 treatment programs

  • Adults with autism, intellectual disabilities, and severe behavioral challenges in residential programs

4. Home-based health care workers including:

  • PT/OT/SLP therapists who work with medically complex home students

  • Personal Care Attendants (PCAs)

  • Home Health, hospice, and home care agency staff performing visits in the home

  • Independent Nurses and Continuous Skilled Nursing staff performing visits in the home

  • Aging Service agency staff performing regular visits in the home

  • State Agency staff performing direct care in the home, including DCF Emergency Response Workers, DMH case managers and DDS care coordinators

  • Mental and behavioral health providers providing in home treatment (e.g., ACCS integrated team, PACT, CBHI, ABA, ESP)

  • Adult Foster Care and Group Adult Foster Care workers performing work in the home

  • Independent Therapists (physical therapists, occupational therapists, Speech & Language therapists) performing work in the home

  • Home-Based Respite and Individual/Family Support staff (DDS and DDS Self Directed)

5. Health care workers doing non-COVID-facing care, including:

  • Dentists/dental students, and dental hygienists (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 and nursing 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 and pedorthists (unless routinely working with COVID-19 positive or suspected patients, in which case should be considered COVID-facing);

  • Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) staff;

  • SUD treatment program staff (if program is non-residential);

  • Asthma and allergy specialists;

  • Diagnostic sleep testing center staff;

  • Chiropractors

  • School nurses (other than those working as vaccinators/testers)

  • Members of the clergy (if working in patient-facing roles)

  • Acupuncturists

6. 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 1 vaccination settings:

  • Individuals currently eligible for vaccination in Phase 1 can visit mass.gov/CovidVaccineMap to view vaccine locations, including mass vaccination sites, sign-up and eligibility information. Sites will continue to be added with appointments released on a rolling basis.
  • 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.
  • Staff and residents of congregate care settings, such as shelters and prisons, can visit COVID-19 Vaccinations for Congregate Care Settings.
  • Many additional vaccination sites will be made available for other populations.