Governor Charlie Baker’s administration on Wednesday announced it would spend $4.7 million on its new initiative to reduce barriers to accessing the COVID-19 vaccine in Massachusetts’ 20 hardest-hit communities, an effort that comes amid a push from elected officials, public health leaders, and activists for the Baker administration to prioritize equity in vaccine distribution.

Baker made the announcement Wednesday from the new mass vaccination site at the Natick Mall as he offered details about the state’s appointment booking process and said about 50,000 new appointments would go live on Thursday at the state’s six mass vaccination sites in Foxborough, Boston, Springfield, Dartmouth, Danvers, and Natick.