Health director: Residents ‘beating down door’ for vaccine
CANAAN — Like other providers, the town’s health department is seeing a high demand for COVID vaccines.
“There has been (no hesitancy) from what I am seeing,” New Canaan Health Director Jennifer Eielson said. “Everyone is beating down the door to get vaccines as fast as possible.”
The town’s health department offers first and second dose vaccinations during a weekly clinic Thursdays at Lapham Center in Waveny Park.
At the Lapham Center, there have been more than 4,000 first doses and 1,800 second doses administered to town residents, according to Eielson.
“(On March 31), we did 520 appointments,” the health director said.
Harrison Pierce, New Canaan Schools’ medical director and chairman of the Health and Human Services Commission, said he has seen some residents show slight caution, but they have typically chosen to proceed with the vaccination.
“There are probably sporadic people out there who have issues with it. I saw two patients who came in with a myriad of questions, but they were there so they did want to be vaccinated,” Pierce said. “They just had to be reassured.”
Eielson said some residents have asked who administers the vaccines. All of Lapham Center’s clinics are run by medical professionals, she said, and she thanked emergency medical service members and local physicians for volunteering.
The state Department of Public Health last week notified local health officials that the full allotment of 800 Moderna doses will be available for the next town clinic on April 15.
“We sent a link out through (the first selectman’s) messaging and it's already filled,” Eielson said. “All 720 spots for next Thursday were filled withNEW in 45 minutes.”
New Canaan will also continue its vaccination efforts for those homebound in town. Earlier this week, the state DPH released an official form online so residents who are unable to leave their home for physical or medical reasons may also receive a COVID-19 vaccination.
Eielson said the town’s health department will continue to hold vaccine clinics “as long as the department of public health keeps giving us vaccines and as long as we have arms to put doses in.”
Pierce was impressed by the operation.
“The efficiency of the whole operation is impressive. These people that are vaccinated are called, greeted, escorted, signed in on the computer, they are ushered back to their stall and they are given the vaccine,” Pierce said. “They then go into a room where they are again checked for the mandatory 15 minutes (after the first dose).”
Those with a history of
allergic reactions are watched for longer periods of time.
New Canaan also has a
“waitlist,” of town residents clamoring for a dose if there are any left over from that week’s clinic.
“We do not have an issue with people saying that they do not want to be vaccinated,” Eielson said.