Boston, MA – Today, the Massachusetts Public Health Association (MPHA) issued the following statement on social media, in response to the announcement by Governor Charlie Baker that, as of tomorrow, caregivers of residents over 75 will be eligible to receive a vaccine for COVID-19.

“Governor Baker’s announcement today that caregivers of residents 75+ will be eligible for a vaccine promises to speed up vaccine distribution in MA, but as a standalone policy, it also promises to exacerbate devastating racial inequities in the roll out. As the Boston Globe reported today, White residents have received 14x as many doses as Black residents and 11x as many as Latinx residents.”

“Simply put, this is an outrage, and it must be the Governor’s top priority to remedy this. The fact that we heard nothing about this from the Governor today is a serious failure of leadership. The Governor should immediately announce companion policies, including funding for outreach and engagement in communities of color, immediate implementation of the 20% additional allocation promised to the most impacted communities, and improved access for non-English speakers, among others. MA can and must solve this problem, and we need Charlie Baker to lead.”