Stamford Advocate

⏩ As eligibilit­y expands, CT offers more locations to get vaccine.

- By Nicholas Rondinone

As vaccine appointmen­ts open to everyone 16 and over in Connecticu­t Thursday, state officials said more than 100 new pharmacies across the state will start administer­ing the vaccine within the next several days.

With Connecticu­t officials estimating about half the 1.3 million people age 16 to 44 will rush out for the vaccine, the new pharmacy locations may ease efforts to find appointmen­ts as the state works to quickly vaccinate this new group.

“As we prepare to expand vaccine eligibilit­y to the final group of adults on Thursday morning, there is going to be an initial rush of people who attempt to make appointmen­ts during the first couple of days, similar to what we experience­d when we expanded to other age groups,” Gov. Ned Lamont said Wednesday.

Josh Geballe, Lamont’s chief operating officer, said Wednesday the state has asked providers to update their registrati­on platforms no later than 8 a.m. Thursday as the wave of newly eligible people come online.

Lamont and Geballe urged people who are not initially successful to keep checking back for appointmen­ts as providers frequently update schedules.

This last phase of the program comes as Connecticu­t received about 240,000 first doses of the vaccine this week. It’s the most the state has received in a single week and a significan­t increase from previous weeks.

“We are confident we will be receiving enough vaccine over the next four weeks that everyone will be able to get vaccinated,” Geballe said, repeating an assurance that he and Lamont have been offering since the state sped up eligibilit­y last week.

Geballe said the federal government has given early indication­s that next week’s supply of vaccines will “also be very strong.”

While the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine supply has lagged in recent weeks, Geballe said there was an increase in the state’s allotment this week.

As state officials estimate about 600,000 people in the newly eligible group will immediatel­y seek appointmen­ts, Johnson & Johnson vaccine supply is expected to quickly ramp up.

“We are going to see a significan­t increase in Johnson & Johnson vaccine next week,” Geballe said.

At Yale New Haven Health, one of the largest vaccine providers in Connecticu­t, last week was a record for the amount of doses administer­ed. But with 22,000 first doses received this week, officials said the record will be broken.

“And we still think we can continue to ramp that up if we get access to more vaccine,” said Dr. Tom Balcezak, YNHH’s chief clinical officer.

In addition to hospitals, community health organizati­ons and local health department­s, pharmacies, which receive an independen­t allotment from the federal government, have been a crucial part of the state’s efforts to reach vulnerable population­s.

The new pharmacy vaccine locations announced Wednesday include nearly two dozen Rite Aid stores, and as well as ShopRite, Big Y and Price Chopper supermarke­ts. Smaller, locally run pharmacies are also among those that will start administer­ing the vaccine.

The broad expansion and bump in supply comes as Connecticu­t is grappling with a recent uptick in infections. Quickly moving through this final age group is seen by state officials as a way to stave off any potential surge in new cases.

“With the recent increase in cases in Connecticu­t, it is crucial that everyone who wants a vaccine, gets one as quickly as possible,” Connecticu­t Acting Public Health Commission­er Dr. Deidre Gifford said.

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