Norwalk mass vaccine clinic ‘booked solid’

NORWALK — With vaccines now available to residents ages 45 to 54 statewide, some Norwalk Health Department clinics are entirely booked.

“Saturday is booked solid,” city spokesperson Josh Morgan said of the mass vaccination clinic planned at Brien McMahon High School this weekend. “These first days of expanded eligibility bring a surge, and we know people are eager, but we ask residents to remain patient. I may take a few weeks for people to get appointments as we still are limited by the vaccine received by the feds and the state.”

Friday marked the day a new age group became eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine under Gov. Ned Lamont’s rollout plan.

The eligibility expansion to those 45 and older, which was

originally set to take place next week, was moved up in an announcement by Lamont on Monday.

“The first day of expanded vaccine eligibility brings an initial rush of people trying to make appointments,” said Mayor Harry Rilling in a statement Friday. “I know people are eager and want to get vaccinated, but it will take some time. Please remain patient. We continue to be at the mercy of the federal government and state, since they control how much vaccine we receive here in Norwalk. We will continue to advocate for more doses and get shots into arms as quickly as we can.

While the clinic planned for Saturday is booked, Morgan said there has not been a significant increase in calls to the city’s vaccine information line.

Other city clinics are seeing the same demand. Norwalk Community Health Center spokesperson Betty Cordellos said all 700 slots for its Saturday clinic were already booked as of Friday.

“We are fully booked for tomorrow’s clinic and have a waiting list of patients wanting to get the vaccine,” Cordellos said.

Norwalk has reported 9,939 COVID cases since last March with 33 new positive cases reported on Friday. City officials also announced a new strain of COVID, first found in California, was found in a Norwalk resident.

As of March 15, nearly 22 percent of all Norwalk residents over 16 have been vaccinated, including 80 percent of residents over 75 years of age and 81 percent of residents between 65 and 74 years of age, according to city officials.