coronavirus outbreak

CT Residents 55 and Over, Educators Now Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccine

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People 55 and over and educators can now start making appointments to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Connecticut.

Eligible educators and childcare providers include pre-K through grade 12 teachers, paraprofessionals, custodial staff, food service providers, school bus drivers and childcare providers as well as in-school administrative staff.

Teachers in Connecticut can begin to receive coronavirus vaccines and hundreds of Waterbury teachers signed up on the first day.

This does not include individuals who are not required to work on-site in a school.

Residents who are aged 55 and older are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in Connecticut.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont is asking residents to be a little patient as more people are eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Governor Ned Lamont reminds residents that appointments might not be available immediately for those who are newly eligible due to limited supply.

Hartford HealthCare said appointments are limited due to the available supply.

“Because of high demand, appointments are currently very limited and you may find our websites and phone lines slower than usual. We encourage you to please be patient and try logging on every few days to your MyChartPlus account as there are very high volumes at the current time,” Hartford HealthCare said in a statement.

Healthcare personnel, medical first responders and residents and staff of long-term care facilities were already eligible for COVID-19 vaccines in the state.

Lamont said he expects Connecticut will receive 30,000 Johnson & Johnson one-dose COVID-19 vaccines by Tuesday, March 2.

The announcement came after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the emergency use of the vaccine on Saturday.

This makes the Johnson & Johnson vaccine the third vaccine to have emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The Johnson & Johnson shot is now the third with emergency authorization to combat COVID-19 in the U.S.

The 30,000 Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be in addition to the typical Pfizer and Moderna vaccine doses given to the state for use. That would up the state’s total vaccine allocation per week to 130,000.

The governor notes that the authorization of the J&J shot roughly a year after the start of the pandemic "is not only remarkable progress but another tool to help us rapidly defeat the coronavirus."

How to Get an Appointment for a COVID-19 Vaccine in Connecticut

By phone: Call Connecticut’s Vaccine Appointment Assist Line at 877-918-2224, seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for scheduling at select sites.

Online: Schedule a COVID-19 vaccination appointment in VAMS, the Vaccine Administration Management System.

  1. Fill out the form to let the Department of Public health know you are interested in creating an account in VAMS. If you are currently eligible to receive the vaccine then you should receive an email from VAMS to complete your registration within 12 hours. Click here to create an account.
  2. Check for an email from no-reply@mail.vams.cdc.gov. Click on the link in the email and create your account. You will be prompted to retrieve a code that will be emailed to you. You will need to create a password and store it in a safe place.
    1. If you forgot your password, the "forgot password" link on the login page can only be used if you have created a password as part of your VAMS registration.
  3. Complete your VAMS registration.
    1. The first question that will be asked in VAMS is “Have you already registered as a vaccine recipient with VAMS?” The answer to this question is “No.”
    1. Questions with a red asterisk are mandatory. 
    1. Insurance information does not need to be entered.
    1. You will be prompted to share some additional information about yourself.
    1. In order for VAMS to recognize your option chosen for race, click on your choice in the box on the left and click the right-pointing arrow to move your choice to the box on the right.
  4. Use your zip code to search for clinics near you in VAMS.
    1. The system will automatically search for clinics within a 10-mile radius of your zip code, but you may choose up to 100 miles from the dropdown menu, which might provide more clinic locations in your search results.
    1. You might need to check multiple clinic locations to find an available appointment. Find a slot that works for you, and book your appointment.
There have been times throughout the pandemic where Bradley Airport has been extraordinarily quiet and people avoiding travel. Now, though, it appears some people are starting to get more comfortable with traveling and could be ready to escape the cold.
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