Priority access to the COVID-19 vaccine will be given to people ages 16 to 44 with specific medically high-risk conditions starting April 1, according to Governor Ned Lamont.
Connecticut residents with the following conditions will be given priority in registering for the vaccine:
- Sickle cell disease
- End-stage renal disease on dialysis
- Active cancer treatment
- Solid organ transplant
- Down syndrome
- All patients of Connecticut Children's and Yale New Haven Children's Hospital
This prioritization will include roughly 10,000 residents who have not yet received the vaccine.
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Priority will also be given to those with "intellectual and developmental disabilities," the governor said in a news conference Monday. He said there will be dedicated clinics organized by the Department of Developmental Services.
About 9,000 individuals will make up this prioritization group, according to state officials. This does not include individuals who have already received the vaccine who fall into this group.
"Different hospitals are going to handle this differently," said Chief Operating Officer Josh Geballe.
Lamont also noted that many colleges and universities will hold Johnson & Johnson clinics in early May before the end of the spring semester.
High schoolers will have access to the vaccine through Pfizer clinics for students 16 and up. The governor said alliance school districts will hold clinics starting April 19 through May 7. All other interested school districts will be allowed to hold vaccine clinics in the month of May.
Connecticut's New COVID-19 Numbers
The governor said Connecticut's COVID-19 positivity rate is at 3.53% as the state prepares to roll out vaccines to everyone 16 and over later this week.
The new group of eligibility will include around 1.3 million residents. Within that group, about 200,000 residents will have already received at least a first dose before April 1 because of eligibility from their employment, including educators or health care workers, according to Chief Operating Officer Josh Geballe.
Over the past three days, 18 more people have died of the virus, bringing the death toll to 7,883.
Hospitalizations have also reached a high not seen in nearly a month. With an additional 42 hospitalizations, there are now a total of 498 in the state.
Connecticut continues to test thousands of people each day for the virus. With over 91,000 COVID-19 tests performed since Friday, 3,229 came back positive.
Coronavirus Vaccination Status in Connecticut
More than 1.8 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered across the state.
Of that number, 1,189,197 are first or single doses and 684,200 are second doses.
Below is a breakdown of what percentage of people have received the vaccine by age group:
- 65 and up: 80%
- 55 to 64: 61%
- 45 to 54: 38%
- All adults 16 and up: 41%
Lamont said over 240,000 first doses have been administered this past week alone.
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.
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
- 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
