All Massachusetts residents will be eligible for vaccine on April 19

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) announced that all residents aged 16 and older will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine by April 19.

Baker said on Twitter that people ages 60 and older will be eligible on March 22, as well as workers in certain fields such as transit, grocery, food and public works sectors.

Residents aged 55 and older and people with one medical condition that puts them at higher risk for severe illness will be eligible by April 5.

The vaccine will be available to the general public by April 19.

Massachusetts joins a handful of other states that have either already opened eligibility to all adults, or announced a date that’s ahead of President Biden’s May 1 deadline. Federal and state officials are expecting a major influx of vaccines in the coming weeks.

Equity issues: But a concern among many experts is that the extra supply will be outstripped by an inability to get the shots into people’s arms. The federal government has pledged to help by bringing in more vaccinators, but there’s a real concern about equity and making sure to include the people in marginalized communities and without easy access to computers for scheduling.