- Connecticut accelerates COVID-19 vaccination timetable, tentatively opening vaccinations to all residents over the age of 16 on April 5
- Timetable also bumps up vaccination eligibility for residents ages 45 and older and seeks to prioritize high-risk individuals in April
- Governor Ned Lamont urges patience, saying vaccinations will still take time despite the faster schedule
Summary by Dirk Langeveld
Connecticut has accelerated its timetable for administering COVID-19 vaccinations to residents, saying vaccinations will be available to anyone ages 16 and older who lives or works in the state starting on April 5.
Governor Ned Lamont says he made the decision after the Biden administration informed him that Connecticut “should anticipate receiving a significant increase in supplies of all three federally authorized vaccines over the next several weeks.” Biden had also called on states to make COVID-19 vaccines available to all adults by May 1, two days earlier than the date Connecticut originally planned to fully open the vaccination process.
“Based on our discussions with the federal government regarding vaccine allocation, we anticipate receiving more than 200,000 first doses per week by early April,” said Lamont. “This allotment, combined with our state’s strong execution over the past several weeks, allows Connecticut to significantly accelerate the schedule so that we can equitably and efficiently vaccinate as many residents as possible.”
Connecticut’s vaccine rollout first opened to health care workers, nursing home residents and staff, medical first responders, and older residents. The state scrapped plans to begin administering doses to frontline essential workers and those with health conditions that made them more vulnerable to severe illness, instead adopting an age-based distribution.
Currently, residents ages 55 and older can schedule an appointment to receive a vaccine. Connecticut is also making vaccines available to preK to grade 12 school staff and professional child care providers.
The original age-based schedule called for vaccine eligibility to extend to ages 45 and older on March 22, ages 35 and older on April 12, and ages 16 and older on May 3. Lamont also announced that eligibility will extend to ages 45 and older slighter sooner than expected, on March 19 – the same day Connecticut is set to lift capacity restrictions on most businesses.
Lamont previously explained that the age-based model intended to streamline the vaccination process and avoid complications in determining who was eligible as an essential frontline worker or person with a qualifying medical condition. The new vaccination schedule partially addresses this criticism by saying the Department of Developmental Services will work with the state to identify high-risk individuals under the age of 45 and accelerate their vaccination during the month of April.
Lamont urged “patience to the greatest extent possible,” saying it will still take time to get the vaccination to everyone who wants one even with the quicker timetable. Dr. Diedre Gifford, Connecticut’s acting public health commissioner, also asked that residents continue to observe public health protocols including wearing a mask in public, social distancing, avoiding large gatherings, practicing good hand hygiene, and isolating and getting tested if they become sick.
Lamont said Connecticut continues to rank among the top five states in the percentage of population vaccinated. A total of 496,006 residents had been fully vaccinated as of March 15, including 59 percent of residents ages 55 and older. Thirty-one percent of the state’s over-16 population had received at least one dose.
Residents can find information on the closest available clinic and find information on making appointments at ct.gov/covidvaccine. In addition, the state’s Vaccine Appointment Assist Line is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day at 877-918-2224.
