coronavirus vaccine

Tips: How to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment in CT

Getting an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine in Connecticut can be a challenge, but you will be able to get one if you are persistent. Here are some tips.

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People 16 years old and up are now eligible for a coronavirus vaccine in Connecticut.

With more than one million people in Connecticut now eligible for a vaccine, 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.

As of 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 31, the Vaccine Administration Management System opened for registration for all Connecticut residents 16 and older.

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 five 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.
  • Check your city or town website to see if there is a waitlist.
AstraZeneca says its coronavirus vaccine developed with the University of Oxford was found to be safe and effective in trials conducted in the U.S., Peru and Chile.

Who Can Get a COVID-19 Vaccine in Connecticut

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 Can Get a Coronavirus Vaccine By Age Group

  • 75 and up -- eligible now
  • 65 and up - eligible now
  • 55 and up - eligible now
  • 45 to 54: eligible now
    • Around 477,000 became eligible
  • 16 to 44: April 1
    • The state will work with providers and the Department of Developmental Services to accelerate access for the most medically high-risk individuals under 45 during the month of April.
    • Around 1.3 million are now eligible.

Learn more about the phases here.

The acting commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health received a coronavirus vaccine and said the best vaccine is the one that is available.

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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
  4. 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

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.

Cities and Towns Helping With COVID-19 Vaccine Sign-ups

In addition to signing up through VAMS, the state vaccine line, a provider and pharmacy, some cities and towns have additional sign-up methods or phone lines to call for help.

What to Do If You Are Having Trouble Signing Up?

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

With three coronavirus vaccines now approved in the U.S., learn the difference between them.

A Connecticut health care leader discusses today's news that moves the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine one step closer to emergency approval.
NBC Connecticut and Associated Press
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