State warns as COVID vaccine eligibility increases

Josh Geballe, chief operating officer for Governor Ned Lamont, said that given Connecticut’s growing vaccine supply, the state believes most will be vaccinated in the coming weeks.

“We expect a lot of newly eligible people to rush (Monday) to make an appointment. … People must be prepared to be patient, but know that they will have their turn in the coming weeks, ”Geballe said on Sunday.

For those newly eligible on Monday, state officials ask them to wait a few days before making an appointment to ensure that the poorest can be vaccinated.

The next stages of the deployment come as Connecticut continues to receive encouraging news on vaccine supply. State officials said about 100,000 first doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be shipped to Connecticut this week along with 40,000 doses of the newly approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine – 10,000 more than expected.

Unlike Moderna and Pfizer, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires a dose, which means some people will complete their inoculation process faster.

The state has confidence in the new vaccine, which experts say has clearly been successful in preventing serious illness and death from COVID-19. The state has asked suppliers to nominate the vaccine that will be provided during the registration process.

“We encourage everyone to take the first vaccine available to them,” Geballe said.

Lamont announced a change in the state’s vaccine deployment strategy last week, prioritizing people by age group instead of focusing on essential workers and those with high-risk health conditions. This move, according to his administration, will simplify a complicated process and speed up distribution.

The state estimates that the new groups that will be eligible on Monday include around 610,000 people in total, not including those who were vaccinated in the early stages of the deployment.

Despite the eligibility of the new groups, state officials said people aged 65 and older can and will be vaccinated in the coming weeks. As of last week, state data showed that about 75 percent of people aged 75 and older had been vaccinated and about half of those aged 65 to 74 had received the vaccine.

Anticipating the influx of people who will be eligible from Monday, the state’s appointment line doubles its workforce to 300.

“We anticipate that our online scheduling systems and the vaccine appointment helpline will be inundated (Monday), and for the next few days with people eager to make their vaccine appointments. It’s a good problem to have, and we’ve increased our ability to better handle the expected increase in volume, but people will still need to be patient when signing up, ”said Acting Commissioner Dr Deidre Gifford from the Ministry of Public Health. “To ease the burden on the online and phone systems, we urge residents 55 and older to consider waiting a few days before requesting an appointment if they are able to do so.”

Residents who prefer to make an appointment by phone can call 877-918-2224.

Geballe said that despite the increase in staff, people could expect busy signals on Monday, but reiterated they would get appointments soon.

Although eligibility officially opens at midnight, the state has asked providers to update their websites by 7 a.m. on Monday.

Some vaccination sites require residents to prove they are eligible. RVNA Health in Ridgefield has a notice on its website asking people aged 55 and over to bring documents, such as ID, showing their date of birth. Those who are eligible for their job must bring a pay stub, employee ID, letter or other document, the notice says.

While school employees and teachers will be eligible from Monday, state officials are asking them to wait until immunization clinics are scheduled at schools and local health departments.

Most of them will likely open later in the month, according to a note from DPH.

“Individual school districts are working with their cities and local health departments / districts to develop a plan for their teachers, school staff and educators. Thus, the vaccination plan will be different from city to city and district to district, ”said Maura Fitzgerald, spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health.

She said the agency will ensure that each local health department, or any supplier selected by the school and local authorities “has an adequate supply of vaccines to offer clinics throughout the month. Of March”.

Geballe said the state has instructed these clinics to maintain a “standby” list of eligible people in the area in case additional doses become available.

How local health services will handle vaccine distribution will vary depending on the community, Geballe said. While some may focus only on teachers, school workers, and childcare professionals, some will also continue to immunize the general population.

The departments coordinate with the state, which will ensure the availability of a provider if the local health service focuses on educators.

“They are all working in close coordination with the state while this is happening so that we don’t lose any momentum on the general immunization program for those 55 and over,” Geballe said.