Connecticut Opens COVID Vaccinations to Ages 16+ on Thursday

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All adults 16+ will be eligible to register for their COVID-19 vaccine starting on Thursday, April 1. The Governor’s Office announced that appointments will become available Thursday morning, and residents can register for the vaccine by visiting ct.gov/covidvaccine and entering their zip code. 

The site will show the nearest vaccine providers and instructions on how to register, whether through the Vaccine Administration Management System, an appointment scheduling system provided by the Center for Disease Control, or other vaccine signup systems. 

All Connecticut adults can register in VAMS now, and will receive a confirmation email from the state once eligible, which will allow residents to use the system to input their zip code and find appointments. 

Other providers have their own vaccine signup systems, like CVS, Walgreens, and Stop & Shop. All adults 16+ will be able to make appointments in those vaccination portals starting at midnight. Other health systems include Middlesex Health, UConn Health, Yale New Haven Health, Trinity Health of New England, and Hartford Healthcare

Anyone without access to the internet can call the state’s Vaccine Appointment Assist Line at 877-918-2224, which is available seven days a week from 8 AM to 8 PM. There are no walk-up clinics in Connecticut so far, so appointments are required in advance, whether made online or over the phone. 

Anyone under 18 must register for a clinic offering the Pfizer vaccine, since the FDA has not approved the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines for those under 18 years of age. 

“As we prepare to expand vaccine eligibility to the final group of adults on Thursday morning, there is going to be an initial rush of people who attempt to make appointments during the first couple of days, similar to what we experienced when we expanded to other age groups,” Lamont said. “I am confident that within this next month we will get the vaccine to everyone who wants it.”

In preparation for the surge of new appointments as hundreds of thousands across the state become newly eligible, more than 100 additional pharmacies throughout Connecticut will begin offering COVID-19 vaccines over the next few days, Lamont said. 

Even as more and more residents receive the vaccine, a rising positivity rate and hospitalizations that are the highest since late February means Connecticut’s COVID-19 battle is far from over. 

“While general availability of vaccines is a cause for celebration, we must also remember to keep up our guard against the spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Deidre Gifford, the state’s Acting Public Health Commissioner. “Even after you are vaccinated, you should continue to wear masks, social distance, avoid large gatherings and test and isolate if you are sick.”