CONNECTICUT, USA — Starting April 1st, people 16 and older will be eligible to make a COVID-19 vaccine appointment in Connecticut. The state says it is hopeful people in that group will be able to get vaccinated quickly.
"We're very confident that everybody who wants to get the vaccine will be able to get one during the month of April," said Josh Geballe, Chief Operating Officer for Governor Lamont's office.
With the rollout, comes a wave of tens of thousands of people looking to book appointments, so state officials and healthcare providers are asking for patience. Hartford Healthcare will be offering a new feature to help ease some frustration.
"As opposed to having to come back and just check, we're allowing you to kind of raise your hand that I'm interested in getting the vaccine and you'll end up in a virtual queue in which we can then reach back out to you when we have more appointments available," said Dr. James Cordon, chief clinical integration officer for Hartford Healthcare.
The state also announced more than 100 new pharmacy locations that will be offering the vaccine, and it is anticipating receiving more vaccines.
"We're hopeful that we'll be seeing over 200-thousand doses per week throughout the month," said Geballe.
Under this latest phase, 16 and 17-year-olds will be eligible for only the Pfizer vaccine and will need their parents' approval.
"The one more logistic challenge around it is the need for parental consent, to make sure they are attended with either their parent or a legal guardian when they get vaccinated for 16 and 17-year-olds," said Dr. Cordon.
Young people who will soon be vaccinated say this is an important step towards moving past the pandemic.
"It's been a while since I've been able to see a lot of my friends and really hang out with them so I'm super excited," said Andrew Weinstein, of Trumbull.
"I'm definitely going to get it, probably on the sooner side rather than later just because I want to be able to see my friends again and have life go back to normal," said Josh Fromowitz, a college student from New York, living in Connecticut.
However, health officials are reminding everyone that we are not out of the woods just yet.
"Be patient, wear masks, and wash your hands and be careful. This is the time when everybody gets fatigued and think they're so close and we still know there's a lot of virus out there and it can cause a lot of harm," said Dr. Cordon.
If you are having trouble making a vaccine appointment, you can call the state's Vaccine Appointment Assist Line at 877-918-2224.
The city of Hartford is offering trainings for volunteers who want to help others make appointments, you can apply here.
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