Gov. Charlie Baker says that his administration is looking at the possibility of a COVID-19 vaccine preregistration system in Massachusetts.
But he also wishes that the state’s congressional delegation focused more on pushing President Joe Biden’s administration, rather than himself.
After nearly every member of the all-Democratic delegation signed a letter criticizing the Baker administration’s vaccine appointment process and imploring the governor to set up a preregistration system as other states have done, the Republican governor said Wednesday that “what would be really great, from my point of view, with respect to the congressional delegation,” would be for more longterm visibility from the federal government into future vaccine shipments so that state officials could make appointments available further out in advance.
...Baker did note that the administration is “looking at” a potential preregistration system and “talking to folks in other states.”
In a letter first reported by Boston.com earlier this week, 10 of the state’s 11 delegation members, led by Rep. Katherine Clark, implored Baker to implement such a system, allowing residents to enter their information ahead of time and then get an alert when they’re eligible to get a vaccine and when nearby appointments are available. Lawmakers argued that a preregistration system and more centralized website would simplify what they called a “disjointed and cumbersome sign-up process” and allow the state to distribute doses more equitably to match unmet demand.
...According to Baker, the preregistration system poses some technical challenges — particularly around creating an algorithm for individuals who live between a cluster of the state’s growing number of vaccination sites.
That hasn’t stopped several other states from launching preregistration systems, including West Virginia, which used a Massachusetts company’s notification technology to become a national leader in vaccinations.
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Original story here.