Phase 1 Dec 2020 – Feb 2021 

(Listed in order of priority)

1. Clinical and non-clinical health care workers doing direct and COVID-facing care - including:
   1. COVID-19 testers, staff of test sites, urgent care centers, other clinics, school nurses, and public health nurses performing COVID-19 testing; 
   2. 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; 
   3. Medical Reserve Corps who are called up to vaccinate or other COVID facing direct care work; 
   4. COVID facing Hospice/palliative care professionals; 
   5. COVID facing laboratory staff; 
   6. COVID facing imaging professions;
   7. Emergent employees (manufacturing COVID vaccine)
   8. Sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE)
   9. Primary care providers
   10. Skilled nursing facility rapid response teams
2. Long term care facilities, rest homes and assisted living facilities
3. Emergency medical services, police, and fire - including:
   1. All inter-facility transport workers, MedFlight staff, college/university campus police, 911 Dispatch employees
   2. Federal law enforcement (including FBI, DEA, Coast Guard, federal court officers, U.S. Marshals Service, ATF, Federal Reserve Police, Homeland Security investigators)
   3. Court officers
   4. Harbormasters/Assistant Harbormasters
4. Congregate care settings
   1. Corrections and shelters
   2. Patients and staff of SUD treatment programs (if program is residential)
   3. Patients and staff of Section 35 treatment programs
   4. Adults with autism, intellectual disabilities, and severe behavioral challenges in residential programs
5. Home-based health care workers
   
   1. PT/OT/SLP therapists who work with medically complex home students
   2. Personal Care Attendants (PCAs)
   3. Home Health, hospice, and home care agency staff performing visits in the home
   4. Independent Nurses and Continuous Skilled Nursing staff performing visits in the home
   5. Aging Service agency staff performing regular visits in the home
   6. State Agency staff performing direct care in the home, including DCF Emergency Response Workers, DMH case managers and DDS care coordinators
   7. Mental and behavioral health providers providing in home treatment (e.g., ACCS integrated team, PACT, CBHI, ABA, ESP)
   8. Adult Foster Care and Group Adult Foster Care workers performing work in the home
   9. Independent Therapists (physical therapists, occupational therapists, Speech & Language therapists) performing work in the home
   10. Home-Based Respite and Individual/Family Support staff (DDS and DDS Self Directed)
6. Health care workers doing non-COVID-facing care - including:
   1. 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);
   2. Medical and nursing students (unless routinely working with COVID-19 positive or suspected patients, in which case should be considered COVID-facing);
   3. Inpatient and outpatient physical therapists (unless routinely working with COVID-19 positive or suspect patients, in which case should be considered COVID-facing);
   4. Interpreters who work in hospitals (unless routinely working with COVID-19 positive or suspected patients, in which case should be considered COVID-facing); 
   5. Behavioral health clinicians not already covered in congregate care or direct care; 
   6. Non-COVID facing Laboratory workers; 
   7. Blood donation workers; 
   8. Organ donation procurement worker; 
   9. Hospice/palliative care professionals; 
   10. Non-COVID facing Imaging Professionals;
   11. Dialysis center workers and patients; 
   12. Audiologists and speech and language pathologists (unless routinely working with COVID-19 positive or suspected patients, in which case should be considered COVID-facing);
   13. Podiatrists (unless routinely working with COVID-19 positive or suspected patients, in which case should be considered COVID-facing)
   14. Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) staff
   15. Audiologists
   16. SUD treatment program staff (if program is non-residential)
7. 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:

1. Most health care workers will be vaccinated at their place of employment
2. First responders can visit mass.gov/FirstResponderVaccine for COVID-19 vaccine locations and more information
3. Individuals living and working in long term care will be vaccinated as part of the Federal Pharmacy Partnership Program
4. Vaccination for individuals in other congregate settings (e.g., group homes, shelters, corrections) will be coordinated by the management of those facilities
5. Many additional vaccination administration sites will be made available for other populations

1. Follow healthy hygiene practices
2. Stay at home when sick
3. Practice social distancing 
4. Use a cloth face covering (with some exceptions) in community settings when physical distancing cannot be maintained.

We will continue to share with you guidance from the CDC, EPA, FDA, Mass EEA, Mass EEC, Mass DESE, and OSHA and the Governor's office While the administration continues to work with Federal and Local agencies to insure the safety and wellbeing of the residents of the Commonwealth during this ongoing pandemic and now manage the delivery of the much needed aid. 

(See our Planning to Reopen series of blogs for more information regarding CDC, EPA, FDA, Mass EEA, Mass DESE, and OSHA safety requirements). To review the administration's reopening guidance from the state click here. To view Governor Baker's full report click here).