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February 22, 2021

Breaking with national recommendations, Lamont says Connecticut’s vaccine rollout will now be prioritized by age

YEHYUN KIM :: CTMIRROR.ORG Gov. Ned Lamont gets COVID-19 vaccine from Patrice Marriott of Trinity Health of New England in Bloomfield, February 2021.
By Jenna Carlesso, CT Mirror

Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday he is throwing out the state’s current playbook for the COVID-19 vaccine rollout – which had prioritized people with underlying medical conditions and certain types of workers, such as grocery store and agricultural employees – and is now shifting to a system that is strictly age-based, with the next round of shots open to people who are 55 to 64 beginning March 1.

The announcement comes just as the state was supposed to open up the next round of vaccines to “essential workers” such as teachers and other school staff, grocery store employees and transportation workers, as well as people 16 and older who have underlying health conditions like heart disease and diabetes.

State officials said teachers and others who work in the schools will still be prioritized in the coming weeks, with special clinics devoted just to those employees. School staff is expected to become eligible beginning March 1, with a goal of having all workers who want a shot access to a first dose by late March.

For everyone else, age will be the determining factor in access to the vaccine. People ages 55 to 64 can sign up starting March 1. Those aged 45 to 54 will be able to schedule an appointment beginning March 22, a Lamont spokesman said, and people aged 35 to 44 will be eligible starting April 12. Those 34 and younger will be eligible beginning May 3.

Max Reiss, Lamont’s spokesman, said the process is being changed to simplify who is next in line.

“We’ve seen what’s been going on around the country, and complexity when it comes to eligibility has been the enemy of speed, efficiency and equity,” Reiss said. “That has played out in just about every state in the country. We feel that by simplifying the process this way, it makes everything clearer when it comes to eligibility access, and an easier process makes it more equitable, instantly. People aren’t left wondering – ‘OK, am I earlier because I work at Sam’s Club, but I don’t work at a gas station?’”

The shift by the Lamont administration represents a significant break from the recommendations issued in December by the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the group that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on who should receive priority in the vaccine rollout. The ACIP recommendations had prioritized grocery store employees, public transit staff, food and agricultural workers and others in Phase 1B of the rollout.

Connecticut is currently in the middle of Phase 1B. As part of this phase, it has already begun vaccinating people ages 75 and older, and those 65 to 74. It is also in the process of immunizing people and workers in congregate settings such as homeless shelters, prisons, group homes and psychiatric hospitals.
Next in line were “essential” employees in certain industries, including grocery store workers, farmers, agricultural inspectors and food scientists; air rail, water and ground transportation employees; manufacturing staff such as industrial production employees, chemical processing staff, textile, metal and plastics workers, and plant and system operators; and firefighters, fire inspectors, ambulance drivers and dispatchers.

People with underlying medical conditions outlined by the CDC were also next to receive the vaccine. Conditions included cancer, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Down syndrome, heart conditions (heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathies), weakened immune system from solid organ transplant, obesity, severe obesity, pregnancy, sickle cell disease, smoking and Type 2 diabetes.

Reiss said he did not know of any other states that had overhauled the rollout the way Connecticut announced Monday, but the administration feels it is the right thing to do.

“Who are we to decide which conditions are more serious? We’re trying to get as many people vaccinated as quickly and equitably as possible, and we feel this approach does that,” Reiss said. “We feel that doing it this way, it’s very clear for everyone to understand, and it also provides predictability. So people have an idea of when they’re getting vaccinated.”

The administration did not say what would happen to the state’s vaccine advisory group. A panel convened by Lamont last year provides guidance on who should be vaccinated and when. It was not immediately clear Monday whether that group was consulted on the changes in the vaccine rollout. The panel had last recommended that people with underlying conditions and “essential workers” such as grocery store employees be part of Phase 1B.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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