If you’re not yet eligible to get a vaccine in your area, you might still be hoping to get your shot by finding a leftover vaccine that would otherwise be thrown away by a pharmacy or provider in your area. Now there’s an app for that. Cyrus Massoumi created the app, called Dr. B, and joined LX News to explain how it works.
UPDATE ON MARCH 25: Governor Ned. Lamont announced eligibility for Connecticut residents 16 and older will move up to April 1. Our previous article is below.
Gov. Ned Lamont said the state is on track to expand eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines to people between 16 years old and 44 on April 5.
Lamont said Monday that more than half a million people in Connecticut are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and more than 1 million first doses have been administered.
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People 45 years old and up are currently eligible for a coronavirus vaccine in Connecticut.
By the Numbers: COVID-19 Shots Given in CT
These figures are as of Monday:
- 1,042,185 first doses were administered, including 38,578 doses of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine
- 584,155 people are fully vaccinated
- 1,587,762 total doses have been administered
So far, 53 percent of Connecticut’s population over the age of 45 has received at least one dose, including:
- 79 percent of those over the age of 75;
- 76 percent of those between 65 and 74;
- 53 percent of those between 55 to 64; and
- 22 percent of those between 45 to 54.
In all, 36 percent of all adults in Connecticut over the age of 16 have received at least one dose.
Those who are currently eligible to receive the vaccine in Connecticut include:
- All individuals over the age of 45
- Healthcare personnel
- Medical first responders
- Residents and staff of long-term care facilities
- Residents and staff of select congregate settings
- PreK-12 school staff and professional childcare providers.
Note:To get a vaccine in Connecticut, you must either live or work in the state. If you typically visit a provider here but do not live or work in Connecticut, you are not eligible and must get vaccinated in your home state.
Who's Next for a COVID-19 Vaccine
- April 5: People 16 and older
- Around 1.3 million will be eligible
With around 477,000 people in Connecticut now eligible for a vaccine and 1.3 million becoming eligible on April 5, you might not get an appointment right away, but you can find one. The keys to finding one are to check several different websites and to keep checking through the day.
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Tips to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment in Connecticut
- Several healthcare providers, pharmacies and the Centers for Disease Control have different websites that allow you to book an appointment. Check several of them rather than just one. See below for links of providers in Connecticut.
- Many systems will automatically search for clinics within 5 or 10 miles of your zip code. Expand your search area to find more locations.
- Be persistent.
- Even if a website says no appointments are available, check to see if something was added recently because the site might not have updated to reveal that more appointments are available.
- Keep checking back through the day because appointments do open up.
- Find a slot that works for you, and book your appointment.
- State officials encourage you to keep checking back for newer and sooner appointments but ask that you please remember to cancel the old appointment to free that space up as soon as possible for others who need it.
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Learn more about the phases here.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Complete your VAMS registration.
- 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.”
- Questions with a red asterisk are mandatory.
- Insurance information does not need to be entered.
- You will be prompted to share some additional information about yourself.
- 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.
- Use your zip code to search for clinics near you in VAMS.
- 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.
- You might need to check multiple clinic locations to find an available appointment. Find a slot that works for you, and book your appointment.
Find a Location Near You
You can find a location near you here.
Providers With Their Own Vaccine Sign-Ups
- CVS Pharmacy
- Bridgeport
- Bristol
- Colchester
- Coventry
- Danbury
- Enfield
- Guilford
- Hamden
- Hartford
- New Britain
- New Haven
- Norwalk
- Putnam
- Uncasville
- Waterbury
- Waterford
- Willimantic
- Windsor Locks
- Winsted
- Hartford Healthcare
- Middlesex Health
- UCONN Health
- Stamford Health
- Stop & Shop
- Target
- CVS locations within some Target stores will offer vaccines to people who are eligible.
- Visit CVS.com to check your eligibility and see if there's a participating location near you.
- Walgreens: Access the scheduler here
- Canaan
- Canterbury
- Dayville
- Jewett City
- Litchfield
- Moosup
- Putnam
- Stafford Springs
- Terryville
- Thomaston
- Torrington
- Watertown
- Walmart. Click here to schedule your vaccine
- Bristol
- East Windsor
- Hartford
- New Haven
- North Windham
- Norwalk
- Torrington
- Waterbury
- West Haven
- Yale New Haven Health
- Set up appointments here, or call 833-ASK-YNHH
- Cornell Scott Hill Health Center
- Set up appointments here or call 203-503-3000
- Fair Haven Community Health Care
- Set up an appointment here or call 203-871-4179
Joel Leyden, the executive director of Vaccineangel.com, had advice for anyone trying to book an appointment with CVS and said you’re first going to see no appointments available. But if you click on another state, like Alabama, you fill out all the questions in Alabama and then you go to the bottom of the page and you put in Connecticut and you might see 30 to 40 pharmacies that are offering the vaccines.
COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic for East Hartford Childcare Providers
The Town of East Harford has scheduled two after-hours COVID-19 vaccine clinics dedicated specifically for local childcare providers and they will be at the East Hartford Community Cultural Center at 50 Chapman Place.
- Saturday, March 27, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Monday, March 29, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Childcare providers can call the Town of East Hartford Health Department at 860-291-7324 (five days a week from 8:30 am. .to 4:30 p.m.) to schedule an appointment or email your appointment request to health@easthartfordct.gov.
Providers eligible include adults 18 years and older who work at childcare centers, family childcare homes, and youth camps expected to operate within the next 60 days.
What to Do If You Are Having Trouble Signing Up?
- Call the United Way Vaccine Assistance Line at 877-918-2224 https://uwc.211ct.org/vaccine/
- Join the New York/Connecticut Vaccine Hunters and Angels Facebook Group. This is a group of volunteers who help people find COVID-19 vaccine appointments.
- Ask a family member who has time to check throughout the day to check on openings.
What Coronavirus Vaccines is Connecticut Getting?
- Pfizer
- For CT residents 16 and up.
- The recommended time between doses: 21 days
- Moderna
- For CT residents 18 and up
- The recommended time between doses: 28 days
- Johnson & Johnson
- For CT residents 18 and up
- This is a single-shot vaccine
With three coronavirus vaccines now approved in the U.S., learn the difference between them.
