While masks and other protective gear are crucial in the fight against COVID-19, they can have an incredibly damaging impact on the planet. The director of research at the conservation group Oceans Asia, Teale Phelps Bondaroff, joined LX News to discuss how massive numbers of face masks have been entering our oceans since the start of the pandemic.
Connecticut began vaccinations for COVID-19 in mid-December and the second phase, phase 1b has begun. Residents who are 75 and over can sign up to get vaccinated and signs up will begin soon for front line essential workers, individuals between the ages of 65 and 74, people between the ages of 16 and 64 with comorbidities and Connecticut residents and staff in congregate settings.
Who is in Phase 1b in CT?
Scheduling Now
- Individuals 75 years of and older (CAN SCHEDULE APPOINTMENTS NOW; please see detailed scheduled info below)
Scheduling Soon
- Front line essential workers
- Education and childcare
- First responders and public safety
- Transportation
- Direct care social services
- Food and grocery
- Agricultural and farm
- Manufacturing
- Residents in congregate settings and staff
- Resident ages 65 to 74
- Residents ages 16 to 64 with high risk conditions
The state said key factors in determining who is next with be based on risk for severe illness or death and fighting health disparities and inequities, according to Department of Public Health Acting Commissioner Deirdre Gifford. Gifford said patience is required as the state rolls out Phase 1b.
More Detailed Information on Groups in 1b
- Healthcare providers not included in Phase 1a: All healthcare workers who may not have received the vaccine in Phase 1a – including mortuary services, OT, PT, and telehealth
- Education & childcare: Individuals who work in schools, educational institutions, and childcare settings (e.g., teachers, childcare workers, bus drivers, librarians, before and after school program employees)
- First responders & public safety: All first responders who were not eligible in Phase 1a, including police, fire and corrections officers and people actively working in court settings (e.g., judges, probate workers, marshals)
- United States Postal Service employee: Individuals who work in delivery and hauling industries, including the United States Postal Services as well as other direct delivery services such as FedEx, UPS, and couriers
- Personal transportation: Public transportation, taxi drivers and currently active ride-share drivers, and airlines
- Essential retail: Individuals working in retail stores that sell goods essential to daily living (e.g. - grocery store, hardware store, and pharmacy/drug store employees)
- Food & restaurants: Individuals working in the food and restaurant industries (e.g. – chefs/cooks, bartenders, restaurant servers/hosts, dishwashers, fast food and counter servers)
- Agriculture: Individuals who work in the farming, livestock/animal and fishing industries (e.g. farm workers, fishing, forestry, agricultural inspectors, pest control)
- Manufacturing: Individuals who engineer or produce products for use or sale. (e.g., machine operators, metal and plastic workers, installation, maintenance and repair workers)
- Direct social & government services Individuals providing direct social services or government services (e.g., homeless shelter, soup kitchens, municipal or State social services, and in-person pastoral / religious services)
- Public drinking water, wastewater, and solid waste services: Individuals who work to protect the safety of public drinking water and wastewater systems, and who collect and haul and treat solid waste (e.g. water and waste water treatment plant employees, system operators, and waste and recyclable materials collectors)
Stories from LX News
LX, or Local X stands, for the exponential possibilities of storytelling in our communities.
Who is in Phase 1a in CT?
According to the state's vaccination website, the following groups are eligible for vaccination in Phase 1a:
- Healthcare Personnel: All paid and unpaid persons serving in healthcare settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients of infectious materials.
- Long-Term Care Facility Residents: Adults who reside in facilities that provide a range of services, including medical and personal care, to persons who are unable to live independently.
- First responders at risk of exposure to COVID-19 through their response to medical emergencies such as emergency medical technicians, police and fire. personnel.
Not included in Phase 1a are health care workers who do not come into contact with patients or infectious materials, such as telehealth service providers.
Eligible in Phase 1a:
- Doctors, nurses, and allied healthcare providers seeing patients
- Licensed pharmacists and registered pharmacy technicians working on site in pharmacies
- Custodial, dietary, administrative and support staff working in patient care settings
- First responders (police, fire, EMS) if actively responding to medical 911 calls or involved in care for COVID cases
- School nurses
- Home health providers, homemaker companions, PCAs
- Long-term care facility residents
- Dentists, dental hygienists and other oral health staff
- Laboratory staff
- Students doing clinical rotations
Phase 1a eligible individuals in health care should talk to their organization leadership to get details on how to access the vaccine.
Some health systems have set up appointment scheduling sites for 1a eligible health care workers in their systems as well as community health workers:
Phase 1c
More information expected soon.
Future Phases
COVID-19 vaccinations will be available to eligible members of the general public starting this summer, according to the state. At that time you should expect to have access to the vaccine at the same locations where you would normally get vaccinated: pharmacies, doctors offices, community health clinics, local health clinics, as well as through other providers.
On Tuesday, the state’s vaccine allocation subcommittee followed the federal government guidance, recommending people over 65, as well as those over 16 who have certain health conditions, be included in phase 1B. That decision would need to be approved by the governor's vaccine advisory group.
How to Schedule a COVID-19 Vaccine in Connecticut
For all individuals aged 75 and older, information on scheduling a vaccination is available now on the state's COVID vaccine website.
People 75 and over can make appointments. Everyone else in Phase 1b should not call or try to schedule an appointment yet.
Through a Provider: People who are 75 years old and up can schedule through a provider ready for public distribution of vaccine to eligible residents.
The state says more than 100 healthcare providers across the state are offering COVID vaccines. All locations require pre-scheduling and registration – no walk-ins will be allowed.
- UConn Health: Clinic locations in Farmington
- UConn Health has launched a new COVID-19 Vaccine Scheduling Line as well at 860-679-5589.
- Hartford Healthcare: Several locations across the state
- Hartford Healthcare said people can book appointments at Hartford HealthCare vaccine clinics in Wethersfield; Norwich; Shelton; and Hartford. More sites will be added.
- A hotline is set up where people can ask questions about MyChart: 860-972-4993 or email: MyCHARTPLUSsupport@hhchealth.org
- Walgreens locations: A small number of retail locations will have vaccine offered.
- Yale New Haven Health will begin vaccinating individuals who are 75 and older, beginning Wednesday, Jan. 20.
- Appointments will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. To make an appointment, visit www.ynhhs.org/covidvaccine.
- These YNHHS public vaccination sites will begin to open next week: North Haven, New London, Old Saybrook and Trumbull. A Greenwich site will begin the week of Jan. 25.
- More sites will be added as they are approved.
- Trinity Health of New England is scheduling vaccine appointments for people 75 years and older at four vaccine clinics.
- Patients can schedule an appointment through the VAMS system or through their Trinity Health primary care provider.
- Soon patients will be able to schedule through MyCare.
- More information is available at TrinityHealthOfNE.org/appointment
Online: People who are 75 years old and up who have an email address and the ability to schedule an appointment online can schedule through the online Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS).
Family members can also submit information online for their loved ones.
Many providers can be accessed through the VAMS scheduling system including:
- Trinity Health of New England (hospitals and other locations)
- Griffin Hospital
- Nuvance Health
- Stamford Hospital
- Bristol Hospital
- Local Health Departments
- Federally Qualified Health Centers
By Phone: Those without internet access can call Connecticut’s COVID Vaccine Appointment Assistance Line at 877-918-2224. The phone system was created in partnership with the Department of Public Health and United Way of Connecticut and is specifically targeted to provide support for eligible vaccine recipients who have limited technology access, or who have language, disability, or other barriers that could prevent them from using existing self-scheduling options successfully. The line will take calls on Mondays through Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and will offer a call-back option when all contact specialists are busy serving other callers. The team will aim to return calls as soon as possible, with the goal of same-day response, but should be prepared that it could take several days.
A vaccine is not expected to be widely available to the general public until late summer or the fall of 2021.
Stories from LX News
LX, or Local X stands, for the exponential possibilities of storytelling in our communities.
How to Learn If You Are Eligible
Learn more about the phases and eligibility here.
What's Next
Visit the state's main Vaccination Portal regularly for all the latest updates.
