Photo from Facebook
School nurses from the Naugatuck Valley received training Friday at the Naugatuck Valley Health District’s vaccination clinic, according to a post on Facebook.
HARTFORD — The following press release was sent Sunday by the state Department of Health.
Starting on Monday, March 1, Connecticut residents aged 55 and over will be eligible to schedule and receive their COVID-19 vaccination through one of more than 130 sites throughout the state.
In addition, public and private school teachers and other in-school staff, volunteers and bus drivers, and childcare professionals will be eligible to receive vaccine. Educators and childcare professionals will receive instructions from their school district, town or employer on how they will schedule their vaccination.
With more than 500,000 individuals in the 55+ population and another 160,000 educators and childcare workers, a weekly supply of around 130,000 doses of vaccine from the federal government, and individuals who remain eligible from previous phases also scheduling appointments, the State anticipates that demand for the vaccine will far outweigh the supply as this new group opens Monday. Newly eligible residents are urged to be patient and recognize most will not be able to schedule their appointment first thing Monday morning due to limited vaccine supply.”
Residents are being urged to have patience, with the state acknowledging it will difficult to get appointments at the start of the expanded rollout. The state’s acting department of health commissioner suggested people wait a few days to make an appointment, if they are able.
There are numerous vaccine providers who offer online and telephonic scheduling and eligible residents 55+ have many options for scheduling their vaccine appointments. A complete list of the various scheduling options located closest to you is available at ct.gov/covidvaccine.
In response to the anticipated spike in demand for vaccine appointments, the Vaccine Appointment Assist Line (877 – 918-2224), run by United Way of Connecticut/211, has increased the capacity of the phone system and the number of staff answering calls.
When using the online VAMS scheduling system, people are reminded that they must first submit a form requesting access to the scheduling system. After that form is submitted, they will receive an email with instructions on accessing the scheduling system. This email is not automatic and can take several hours to a day to send. The form to access the VAMS system is now available to all eligible residents here, but access to the scheduling system will not be granted until Monday and new registrations will not be processed continuously overnight.
