Beginning Friday morning, Massachusetts residents eligible for COVID-19 vaccination can book an appointment at their nearst mass vaccination site through a new, online pre-registration system.

The new system will be the only way to book an appointment at one of the state's seven mass vaccination locations. The process of booking a vaccination appointment at other locations, including retail pharmacies will remain the same for now.

"The preregistration system is designed to make it easier for residents to secure an available appointment, and we'll soon replace the current process of large numbers of appointments being posted online on Thursday mornings for mass vacination sites," Gov. Charlie Baker said this week.

Who can pre-register through the new system?
Anyone who is currently eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine.

Right now, that includes all people eligible under Phase 1, all residents 65 and older, individuals with 2+ certain medical conditions, residents and staff of low income and affordable senior housing, K-12 educators, K-12 school staff and child care workers.

How do I do it?
You head to www.mass.gov/COVIDvaccine. Here, you fill out and submit a form. You’ll be asked to provide the following information:

Name
Address
Date of birth
Contact information
Preferred method of communication (email, text, phone call)
Information about your eligibility (living situations, medical conditions, occupations, etc)

Pop in your information, and you're done. You should receive confirmation (via your preferred method of communication) after you have registered — so keep an eye open for that.

It’s OK for family members, caregivers or other companions to fill out the form for someone else.

Then what happens?
Once you’ve submitted your pre-registration you are in the queue for an appointment at the mass vaccination center closest to your zip code.

Once an appointment become available, you’ll be sent a unique link to book your appointment. That link will come via your chosen preferred method of contact. It is expected that the wait for an appointment to become available will be several weeks. You will receive a weekly update assuring you that you are still active in the pre-registration queue.

Once you do receive your unique link, you'll have 24 hours to book your appointment. If you miss the 24-hour window you will go back into the queue.

Can I choose the location where I prefer to be vaccinated?
No.

The system will schedule you for an available appointment at the mass vaccination site closest to your zip code.

The seven mass vaccination locations are Gillette Stadium, Fenway Park, the DoubleTree in Danvers, the Eastfield Mall in Springfield, the Natick Mall, the former Circuit City in Dartmouth, and the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston.

Public officials hope to add the ability to rank or choose from a number of locations as the system is updated in the coming weeks.

What about my second dose if I receive the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine?
As is currently the case at mass vaccination locations, you will schedule or confirm how to set up your next appointment before leaving the site when you receive you first dose.

Do I need insurance? How much does it cost?
COVID-19 vaccines are free. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts will not ask for your bank account number, password or other financial information.

Is this now the only way to get an appointment to be vaccinated?
It is now the only way to schedule an appointment online at any of the seven mass vaccination sites.

Baker has said that additional locations will be added to the pre-registration system next month. But for now, there remain more than 150 other locations where vaccines are being administered to the public, including retail pharmacies throughout the state.

Information about locations, hours and instructions on how to schedule appointments can still be found at the state's Vaxfinder website.

If I don’t have regular internet access, or prefer to speak with someone in person, can I pre-register over the phone?
Yes.

People who do not have internet access or have difficulty navigating the website can still call 2-1-1 to pre-register.

Does This Mean I Will Get My Vaccine Sooner?
No.

The system should, in theory, take some of the confusion and angst out of a scheduling process that Rep. Katherine Clark told GBH News “feels like some twisted version of the Hunger Games.”

But the basic law of supply and demand remains true. And, right now, demand continues to far outpace supply.

"People should keep in mind that it will probably still take several weeks for eligible residents to be notified that there is an appointment available for them, because we're still receiving a real limited federal supply of vaccine doses," Baker said this week.

Can I pre-register if I am not yet eligible for the vaccine?
Your signup will be accepted as valid if you are not yet eligible, but you will not be offered an appointment until you are eligible.

According to state officials, there is no advantage to pre-registering before you are eligible.