How CT residents 16 and older can register for the COVID vaccine starting April 1

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Starting April 1, Connecticut residents 16 and older can register for the COVID-19 vaccine. That alone is making state officials brace for a new wave of registrations.

Originally, state officials thought they would be able to open up this group Monday, April 5, but the last couple of eligibility groups have gone better than expected.

There are 1.3 million people who became eligible Thursday; the group size more likely to try to sign up Thursday is 700-750,000 people, making it the state’s largest eligibility group.

People who have underlying health conditions may qualify for “accelerated access” to COVID-19 vaccinations. Those five conditions are Sickle cell disease, end-stage renal disease, active cancer, solid organ transplant, Down syndrome.

There might not be a whole lot of appointments immediately available because of the way the vaccine comes into the state. The shipments don’t arrive all on one day, but rather, trickle in throughout the week. It’s kind of a rolling schedule because the vaccine doesn’t arrive all in one day.

Josh Geballe, Connecticut Chief Operating Officer, said, “The state allocation typically arrives Sunday or Monday or Tuesday, in that frame. The pharmacies get their allocation from the federal government on a little bit different schedule, and then there is this other allocation that’s going to the federally qualified health centers. That comes on a little bit different schedule, so almost every day during the week there’s more vaccine coming.”

That is why it’s important to just be patient, just keep trying in the morning, the afternoon, in the evening, and you will get an appointment.

The vaccine itself is free, but there may be some administrative costs that are covered by most insurance plans.

Here are a list of ways you can register for the COVID vaccine:

Call Connecticut’s Vaccine Appointment Assist Line at (877) 918-2224 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week
The CDC’s Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS) & The Connecticut Department of Public Health‘s CT VAMS portal. Or call 211.
Hartford HealthCare; You can also call (860) 827-7690.
UConn Health; You can also call (860) 679-5589 (Choose Option 2). The Program’s general line is 860-679-8888 for general questions or vaccine issues. NOTE: Appointment availability will be limited.
Yale New Haven Health NOTE: Appointments will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Griffin Health; Sign up through CT VAMS or call the Griffin Health hotline at 203-204-1053.
Trinity Health of New England: Enroll through VAMS portal or MyCare. You can also contact your Trinity Health primary care provider.
Middlesex Health is scheduling first-dose appointments based on the number of doses they receive each week. There are currently two vaccine clinics within the healthcare system; Middletown and Westbrook.
Chatham Health District — Those eligible for the vaccine but are having trouble finding an appointment can fill out this form to join the extra dose waiting list.
CVS Pharmacy: CVS is now booking appointments at 19 locations across the state as well as some Target locations in Connecticut.
Walgreens is booking appointments in at least 12 different locations across the state.
Rite Aid is booking appointments in at least 21 different locations across the state.
Shoprite is booking COVID vaccination appointments at 14 different locations in CT, offering all three approved vaccines.
Big Y is offering the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine at 12 of its Connecticut locations.
Price Chopper is offering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at four of its Connecticut locations.
Nutmeg Pharmacy is offering all three vaccines at its Moodus, Taftville, Centerbrook and Higganum locations.

People can get their doses at different places, as long as they get both doses from the same manufacturer. Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson are all proven to be safe and effective. Pfizer and Moderna require two doses, while J&J is only one dose.

Right now, the Pfizer vaccine is approved for people 16 and older, and both Moderna and J&J are approved for people 18 and older.

On March 31, Pfizer released results from a trial with 12-15-year-old volunteers, saying the COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective on younger teens. It’s not clear when the FDA would allow vaccinations of people as young as 12 years old.

Governor Lamont announced on March 31 that more than 100 additional pharmacies in the state will be added to Connecticut’s Vaccination Program to accommodate for the need increase that comes with the opening of the next age group eligibility.

The pharmacies that are soon being added to Connecticut’s COVID-19 vaccination program include: