RIers Aged 50-59 Eligible For Coronavirus Vaccine Starting Monday

PROVIDENCE, RI — The next group of Rhode Islanders will become eligible for the coronavirus vaccine starting Monday. Residents aged 50 to 59 will be able to make an appointment at that time.

New appointments are added for the mass vaccination sites run buy the Rhode Island Department of Health on Tuesdays at 9 a.m. and Fridays at 5 p.m. Pharmacies and other vaccine sites add appointments throughout the week as they become available. This Friday, the department plans to add 12,000 new appointments.

"We’ll be releasing the largest batch of vaccine appointments in Rhode Island to date," McKee said. "This is great news for our efforts to get as many shots in arms as quickly as possible. I encourage Rhode Islanders to make a plan to get vaccinated when they become eligible."

Three new, regional vaccine sites will open in Rhode Island next week, each offering 12,000 vaccine doses per week to start. The sites will operate on the following schedule to start:

• Westerly: Mondays and Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
• Johnston: Tuesdays and Wednesdays 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• East Providence: Wednesdays and Fridays, 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.

Hours will be extended when more doses become available, state health officials said. Appointments can be mode for these sites on the state's vaccine scheduling portal, the same way as the mass vaccination sites.

The next age group — 40 to 49 years old — is set to become eligible to get a vaccine on April 12, followed by all Rhode Islanders 16 and older on April 19.

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