Connecticut Moving Up COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility to All Residents 16 and Older on April 1

Connecticut residents age 16 and older will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine beginning April 1, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Thursday.

The governor had previously said residents 16 and older would tentatively be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine starting April 5, but that date is changing as of Thursday afternoon. The governor said an increasing supply of vaccines into the state allowing for around 200,000 doses to be distributed next week.

"The vaccination supply continues to ramp up, particularly J&J," Lamont said. Other state officials said Pfizer doses are also increasing.

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.

The state has urged patience with the beginning of each eligibility phase as residents try to schedule vaccine appointments.

Possible Prioritization for Underlying Health Conditions

The state is having conversations with some health care systems about possible prioritization within the April 1 eligibility group for residents with specific medical conditions, according to the governor. Lamont said details would be released on Monday.

In addition, he said the state is working on dedicated vaccination clinics for residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Around 477,000 residents 45 and older became eligible on March 19.

The state has seen a slight incline in some key COVID-19 metrics in recent days.

State Monitoring Increasing Positivity Rate Average

Connecticut's COVID-19 test positivity rate came in at 3.88% on Thursday as deaths and hospitalizations increased.

Of the 33,387 tests administered since Wednesday, 1,489 came back positive. The state's seven-day average is 3.7%, according to the governor, and is up 50% to 60% over a week ago.

The state's death toll from COVID-19 now stands at 7,862 after 10 more residents lost their lives.

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Hospitalizations increased by 22 since Thursday.

The governor said some areas of the state, like the Naugatuck Valley, are seeing increases in the rate of COVID-19 infections, including Ansonia and Derby.

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