Governor Lamont Announces Age-Based Approach To COVID-19 Vaccinations

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Governor Lamont Announces Connecticut Will Continue Age- Based Approach To COVID-19 Vaccine 
Eligibility; Educators and Childcare Providers To Have Dedicated Clinics in March

(HARTFORD, CT) – In an effort to ensure that Connecticut continues taking the most equitable and  
efficient  approach  to  quickly  administering  the  COVID-19  vaccine  to  as  many  people  as 
possible,  Governor  Ned  Lamont  today  announced  that  the  state  will  continue  with  an  
age-based approach  to  expanding  eligibility  to  the  vaccine,  explaining  that  other  
previously  considered scenarios proved overly complex and confusing, would potentially exacerbate 
inequities in vaccine distribution, and slow down the process of providing it to Connecticut 
residents.

Age is one of the strongest factors contributing to COVID-19 deaths, with 96 percent of COVID-19 
deaths in Connecticut occurring in people over the age of 55.

To  provide  clarity  and  predictability,  the  governor  today  announced  a  schedule  for  
age-based eligibility for the next several months. By laying out a clear timeline for eligibility 
for the vaccine, the strategy allows everyone in the state, including essential workers and those 
with chronic conditions, to know when they will be able to schedule an appointment. The planned 
schedule is as follows:

March 1, 2021: Expands to age group 55 to 64
March 22, 2021: Expands to age group 45 to 54
April 12, 2021: Expands to age group 35 to 44
May 3, 2021: Expands to age group 16 to 34

To further ensure equitable allocation of the vaccine, Governor Lamont also announced that he is 
directing the Connecticut Department of Public Health to set numerical targets and work with 
vaccine providers to ensure that vaccines are administered to people living in the highest-risk 
communities in proportion to their population. These targets and the associated strategies will be 
announced in the coming days.

In addition to the age-based eligibility, preK-12 school staff and teachers, and professional 
childcare providers  will  be  eligible  to  receive  the  vaccine  in  March  at  dedicated  
clinics  that  will  be  set  up specifically  for  those  sectors.  Educators  and  childcare  
professionals  will  soon  receive  information from their school administrators and employers on 
when their dedicated clinics will be provided.

Connecticut has been using a phased approach to its COVID-19 vaccine program because of the very  
limited  supply  of  the  vaccine  that  it  has  been  receiving  from  the  federal  government.  
The program  initially  began  in  December  with  healthcare  providers  and  medical  first  
responders,  and then  expanded  in  January  to  include  all  individuals  over  the  age  of  75 
 and  certain  congregate settings, followed by those over the age of 65 in mid-February. All 
previously eligible individuals and settings will continue to be eligible after March 1.

“In a perfect world, we would have enough doses of the vaccine to get it to all 3.6 million people 
in Connecticut right now, however each state is being given a very limited supply, which is why we 
must take this phased approach,” Governor Lamont said. “Connecticut’s healthcare providers have 
been doing an amazing job getting the vaccine to people as quickly as they can, and using age as 
the only qualifying factor is one of the reasons why they’ve had success so far. The last thing we 
want to do is complicate the process for them and cause delays that slow things down and exacerbate 
issues regarding  equitable  access.  A  vaccination  program  of  this  magnitude  is  
unprecedented  in  recent times, and I appreciate everyone’s understanding of the fluid nature of 
this situation. My goal is to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible, and I believe 
this is the best path to meeting that challenge.”

“We  have  been  in  the  COVID-19  marathon  for  approaching  a  year  and  now  our  race  
becomes  a sprint to beat the variants of COVID-19 that are now circulating in the state and 
elsewhere and to return to a sense of normalcy for ourselves, our families and our communities,” 
Connecticut Acting Public   Health   Commissioner   Dr.   Deidre   Gifford,   who   also   serves   
as   co-chair   of   the Governor’s  COVID-19  Vaccine  Advisory  Group,  said.  “The  Department  
of  Public  Health  is committed  to  an  equitable  vaccination  program.  Sticking  with  an  
age-based  vaccine  rollout  allows our vaccine providers to get as many shots as possible as 
quickly and equitably as possible into the arms of Connecticut residents, and vaccinating our 
education and childcare workforce will get our children back in the classroom this school year.”

“Ensuring communities of color have access to vaccines is one of the most important and impactful 
ways we will get this pandemic behind us,” Dr. Reginald Eadie, president & CEO of Trinity Health 
New England and co-chair of the Governor’s COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Group, said. “Using age as an 
eligibility criterion makes it clear to all of our residents, especially those who have been 
disproportionately affected by COVID-19, that the vaccine is here, it’s available, and provides for 
an easier registration process to actually receive the vaccine. Education is important when it 
comes to addressing  vaccine  hesitancy,  but  we  must  also  have  a  simple  process  to  make  
sure  those  who need the vaccine receive the vaccine. This new timeline not only informs residents 
of when they can anticipate they will be eligible to be vaccinated, but it also provides 
vaccinators direction on when and where to target their own outreach and education efforts.”

“Equitable  access  to  vaccine  for  our  communities  that  have  been  hardest  hit  by  
COVID-19  has always been the priority of the allocation subcommittee,” Nichelle Mullins, president 
and CEO of Charter Oak Health Center, and Zita Lazzarini, associate professor of public health 
sciences at UConn Health, both of whom serve as the co-chairs of the allocation subcommittee of the 
Governor’s COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Group, said in a joint statement. “We agree with the 
governor’s  approach  and,  while  not  ideal,  we  understand  that  a  continuation  of  the  
age-based system simplifies the requirements for vaccination. We also applaud the state’s 
commitment to set tangible   benchmarks   for   providers   to   vaccinate   residents   living   
in   Connecticut’s   cities   and municipalities with large underserved and high-risk populations.  
These benchmarks are intended as affirmative  steps  to  increase  equity  in  access  to  vaccines 
 and  to  remediate  inequities  that  have accrued so far.”

Connecticut Business and Industry Association president and CEO Chris DiPentima said that while 
essential employers had spent time and resources preparing for the vaccine rollout based on the 
initial guidance, he understood the need to pivot. “We cannot rebuild our economy and recover from  
the  pandemic  without  first  addressing  the  public  health  crisis,”  he  said.  “This  new  
approach allows  for  more  workers  across  Connecticut  to  get  vaccinated  in  a  short  period 
 of  time,  and  it eliminates potentially complicated rules, making it easier and more equitable for everyone to 
receive their vaccination. It is critical that we vaccinate as many people as possible as quickly 
as possible.”

All eligible individuals in Connecticut are required to make an appointment in advance of receiving 
the vaccine. Residents aged 55 to 64 should not attempt to make an appointment now – they will not 
be able to schedule one until the program expands to their age group on March 1.

To locate vaccination clinics, individuals should visit ct.gov/covidvaccine and enter their zip 
code. From there, users will be shown the nearest available clinics and provided with specific 
directions on how to make an appointment at each one, including over the internet and over the 
telephone.

Those  who  do  not  have  access  to  the  internet  can  call  Connecticut’s  Vaccine  
Appointment  Assist Line at 877-918-2224. The line is open seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 
p.m.

State Capitol
210 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, CT 06106

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