WATERFORD, CT – Police were called to a CVS in Waterford after a group of New Yorkers showed up to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, FOX 61. A group of residents over 75 reported on Thursday around 2 p.m. showed up at the pharmacy.
They told police they were allowed to sign up for vaccinations on the CVS website, which allows them to make appointments at the Waterford location at 106 Boston Post Road.
According to WFSB-3 TV, the group of ten people came from Long Island. To receive a vaccine in Connecticut, you must live or work in the state. CVS denied them when they arrived at the store, saying they did not meet the criteria.
According to FOX 61, the group was upset but did not cause any problems. DPH commissioner Diedre Gifford said the situation was “unfortunate”, but in the end the system of double checks worked and people who were not eligible were turned down.
According to WFSB-3 TV, police were called to the store to keep the peace and make no arrests.
One woman from Southold, Long Island, said she qualified under the New York government to receive the vaccine but was sent to Waterford through the CVS website, despite entering a zip code in New York.
CVS officials said the pharmacy follows all state guidelines on the vaccine, but the scheduling section of its website is now being maintained.
The state is currently implementing Phase 1B of the vaccination program, giving priority to giving the vaccine to residents over 75 since mid-January.
The following targets for the coronavirus vaccine are 65 years and older. After that, Gov. Ned Lamont said, he would look to the federal government for guidance, but envisioned the state remain focused on ‘populations under service’. The governor had previously identified people as black, Hispanic and poorer neighborhoods who were statistically more likely to die from COVID-19.