(Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
(BOSTON) Gov. Charlie Baker's administration announced Wednesday the state was ready to move into the second step of Phase 2 of its COVID-19 vaccine rollout and expand the pool of eligibility, according to WCVB.
The new eligibility pool, which will take effect Thursday, will include people aged 65 and over, residents and staff of low-income housing or affordable senior housing and those with two or more comorbidities. That group should amount to about 1 million newly eligible people, and Baker said more than 70,000 appointments are expected to become available on Thursday, starting at 8 a.m.
The state Department of Health listed 13 comorbidities that put people at increased risk of serious illness from COVID-19:
- Cancer
- Chronic kidney disease
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Down syndrome
- Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathies
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
- Obesity
- Severe obesity
- Pregnancy
- Sickle cell disease
- Smoking
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus
- Asthma (moderate-to-severe)
Phase 2 began on Feb. 1 and anyone who was eligible in previous phases is still eligible to receive a vaccine.