After ‘confusion’ was blamed on some Connecticut teachers who received the COVID-19 vaccine too soon, government Lam Lamont on Tuesday gave some clarity on the process.
The governor’s office has introduced a new, committed approach to dividing the Phase 1B vaccination group, which includes 1.4 million Connecticut residents.
Phase 1B officially began on Monday with the vaccinations of residents aged 75 and older who do not live in old age homes.
Connecticut residents between the ages of 65 and 74 will be the next group to be vaccinated, which is likely to begin in early February, according to a loose timeline shared by the governor’s office.
The group will be followed by ‘essential workers and individuals with underlying medical conditions who are at increased risk for serious illnesses’, says Lamont’s office.
Lamont said residents are likely to start receiving the vaccine by about March 1st. He said the timeline could change if the state receives more doses of the vaccine, including if one developed by Johnson & Johnson is approved.
“People 65 and older are 18 percent of the population, but still 88 percent of the deaths,” Lamont said Tuesday during his media briefing. “So, I think you can understand why this is going to be a very important priority for us.”
The vaccine should be available sometime in May for the remaining essential workers, known as Phase 1C. The vaccine could be available to the general public sometime in June, according to the governor’s timeline.
The rollout of the vaccine to a slightly younger section of the population is also meant to address how the virus has hit communities of color disproportionately hard.
“African Americans will suffer much more severely in the 70- to 79-year-old group than, for example, a non-Hispanic white man,” Lamont said. “And there is an even greater chance that the Spanish people will die in that younger age group, so that’s another reason why we focus on 65 and older.”
Deidre Gifford, acting commissioner of the Department of Public Health, said the state would also use data tracked by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention to determine where vaccination clinics should be placed to ensure the shots reach vulnerable communities. .
The governor continued to urge patience and said he believed Biden’s incoming government would put the accelerator to increase vaccination at the federal level, including the use of the Defense Act.
Connecticut reported 2,094 new COVID-19 cases out of 37,033 tests on Tuesday for a daily positivity rate of 5.65 percent. The state reported that 27 people had been admitted to the hospital since Monday, raising the total amount to 1,141. Another dozen deaths brought the total death toll to 6,682.
According to the governor’s office, as of Tuesday, 220,820 doses of vaccines have been administered in Connecticut, including 24,067 people who received their second and final dose.
Lamont’s vaccine for vaccination on the vaccine came when the president of the Connecticut Education Association says that ‘confusion’ about where teachers are prioritized during the process has led to a number of educators getting their chance too soon.
In a joint memorandum sent Sunday, the state Department of Public Health and the Department of Education said some school districts are registering their premature staff members “prematurely” in the federal vaccine administration system.
After users are uploaded to the web portal, they receive a message from the CDC that they can use VAMS to find and plan a vaccine appointment.
Josh Geballe, chief operating officer of the state, said only ‘about a dozen’ school districts misunderstood the directions. He pointed out there are more than 200 school districts in the state and more than 300 private schools.
The governor’s office said school staff who made appointments after Thursday were instructed to cancel it.
School districts are also being told not to upload more schedules of employees to VAMS until notified, according to the Sunday memo.
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Gifford indicated that teachers followed their instructions. “If teachers understand what is being asked, they cancel their appointment and wait their turn,” she said.
Jessica Wolf, a resident of East Windsor, a music teacher in the Summers school district, is one of the educators who has already received their first dose of vaccine. Wolf said she was registered via VAMS and received the vaccine Saturday at Rentschler Field.
“Yesterday was my birthday,” Wolf said. “What a gift!”
Jeff Leake, president of the Connecticut Education Association, said his group “continuously advocates” that teachers be a top priority in Phase 1B.
“We know some school districts have put educators in the queue by accident or intentionally,” Leake said. ‘We also know that appointments have been scheduled with some of you, but that the appointments were canceled when the state learned that the group is not in the 75 years and older category. We have also been informed that there will be errors and inconsistencies in any type of public health undertaking – some people who are not in the category 75 years and older have been invited to receive or receive a vaccine, although this is not the case. . declared protocol. ”
Some teachers in New London were vaccinated when they were not yet eligible because officials probably had a VAMS error.
The state’s vaccination efforts come when university students began returning for the spring semester.
Students returning to the University of Connecticut’s Storr and Stamford residences had to test at home again this weekend and then back to campus.
According to Stephanie Reitz, UConn spokeswoman, 76 COVID-19 cases were found during re-entry tests. Of those, 56 cases were caught at home, and another 20 students developed the virus between the home test and returning to campus, Reitz said.