In the COVID-19 rollout plan for Massachusetts, Veterinarians and support staff are included in Phase 3, effectively putting them in line with the general public. Veterinarians, veterinary technicians and front desk staff have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to provide a critical need to the public of Massachusetts and will continue to do so moving forward, but should be protected by the vaccine while doing so.  

Many families adopted new pets during the pandemic and veterinarians were there to serve them in a profession that can't be accomplished remotely.  The care that veterinarians and their staffs provided also enabled pets to recover from significant illnesses and serious injuries, preventing families from needing to say good bye to loved ones in an already stressful time.  

In addition, reports have indicated that veterinarians may be called upon as health professionals to administer the vaccine, which seems to contradict where they fall in the vaccine plan.   

Please join me in telling Governor Baker and the Massachusetts Vaccine Advisory Group that veterinarians and their support staff deserve better and should be included in Phase 2 distribution of the vaccine (and is consistent with where other states have prioritized this profession).