More Vaccine Doses Heading To CT; Doubling Next Phase Recommended

CONNECTICUT — The state coronavirus vaccine advisory group on Tuesday recommended that Connecticut follow new federal guidelines and double the number of people eligible for the next vaccine phase. New federal rules will also reward Connecticut’s vaccine rollout success with a bigger supply.

The group recommended the next phase include: adults over the age of 65, adults under 65 with at least one comorbidity (increased risk category) as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, front-line essential workers and residents of congregate settings such as prisons. Congregate setting residents were one of the group the vaccine advisory group added in outside federal recommendations.

The expanded 1b category essentially combines most of 1b and 1c phases into a single phase. Around 800,000 Connecticut residents fell into the CDC's initial 1b list. State vaccine advisory group member Tim Klufas noted the new federal guidelines could include around 1.6 million residents.

State Department of Health Acting Commissioner Deidre Gifford recommended there be phases within the 1b phase to ensure people over the age of 75 don’t get pushed to the end of the 1b line.

Other state vaccine advisory members noted people over the age of 75 typically aren’t the most technologically savvy and shouldn’t miss out on vaccination appointment slots. Gifford noted the state will set up a phone line for appointments. Large health care systems are also being advised to begin reaching out to people to coordinate appointments.

The state’s plan as of Monday first focuses on residents over the age of 75 in the beginning of phase 1b on Jan. 18. Front-line essential workers such as teachers would get appointments later in the phase.

Reginald Eadie, the vaccine advisory group's co-chair, agreed that following federal guidelines was a move in the right direction so long as there was some degree of phasing in certain groups.

The group’s recommendation was made almost in real-time after federal Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar released new federal vaccine guidelines for phase 1b. Previous guidelines included adults over the age of 75 and front-line essential workers such as teachers. Connecticut’s advisory group was mulling expanding phase 1b before the federal announcement.

Gov. Ned Lamont will have the final say on who is included in the next phase. He has strongly followed the recommendations of his vaccine advisory group and federal guidelines. However, on Monday, the governor indicated he was wary of adding too many groups to the next phase. Lamont has often used the mantra, “if everybody’s a priority, then no one’s a priority.”

He repeated those concerns during an unrelated news conference Tuesday before the official federal announcement and said that vaccine demand greatly outstrips the supply.

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CT gets federal compliments, slated to get more vaccine doses

Azar complimented Lamont and Connecticut’s vaccine rollout as a model for the rest of the nation. He criticized other states who have micromanaged the vaccine rollout, which has led to an inefficient process and doses thrown in the trash.

The federal Operation Warp Speed vaccine program will change how vaccine doses are allocated to states in two weeks. Currently, doses are being allocated on a per-capita basis. Future shipments will be allocated based on the pace of vaccine administration reported by states as well as the size of the 65+ population.

“This new system gives states a strong incentive to ensure that all vaccinations are being promptly reported, which they currently are not, and it gives states a strong incentive that doses are going to work protecting people rather than sitting in shelves or freezers,” Azar said at a news conference.

Lamont said he recently spoke with Azar, who notified him the state will receive tens of thousands of extra vaccine doses in the coming weeks.

Connecticut in many ways is light years ahead of some other states in the vaccine rollout. Some states have micromanaged the rollout to restrict vaccine access to phase 1a (front-line health care workers and nursing home/assisted living residents) despite waning demand. On the other hand, some states like Florida have already opened the floodgates to a large portion of the population, which has led some residents to camp out overnight for a vaccine dose.

Connecticut’s vaccine rollout will continue with appointment slots.

Azar also announced reserves of second coronavirus vaccine doses will be released now that manufacturers have reliably made target amounts. The federal government will also lend manpower and technical expertise to set up mass vaccination sites within states.