Vaccines may soon be available for residents age 65-74

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By Paul Hughes, Republican-American

WATERBURY — Gov. Ned Lamont advised on Feb. 3 that Connecticut residents age 65 to 74 could be able to start receiving COVID-19 vaccine shots in the middle of this month.

Lamont said the state vaccination program is expected to open up to this next group in 10 days following a tour of a vaccination clinic at the Waterbury Arts Magnet School on Feb. 3.

He cautioned the 10-day estimate depended on the supply of the vaccine from the federal government, but it is based on current delivery projections and the progress that is being made in vaccinating state residents 75 and older now.

“Ten days provided we see what the flow of vaccines is going to be. So, I don’t want to get ahead of myself here. It could be two weeks,” Lamont said.

The state is expecting to receive approximately 54,000 to 55,000 first doses of COVID-19 vaccine a week. The state was previously averaging 47,000 a week. The available Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines require two doses administered three and four weeks apart to be effective against the coronavirus.

Through Feb. 1, 45% of the estimated 277,000 residents age 75 and older had received at least their first dose of vaccine. This age cohort is the first group to be vaccinated outside of front-line hospital staff, residents and staff of nursing homes, and emergency medical responders.

The state has received more than 500,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines since the state vaccination program was launched in mid-December.

Lamont said the federal government is now going to give states three weeks’ notice on expected vaccine shipments. He said state officials and vaccination providers should be able to plan better and avoid delivery problems that forced cancellations of individual appointments and entire vaccination clinics.

“We have much better clarity today than we had a month ago,” Lamont said.

Lamont said he was confident that vaccine production will be ramping up sooner than first expected based on a conversation Feb. 3 with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla.

Lamont and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, the co-chairmen of the National Governors Association’s Pandemic and Disaster Response Task Force, spoke with Bourla. Lamont said the Pfizer CEO indicated his company and Moderna can increase production in a month or two.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 continued to spread with 482 new cases reported Feb. 3 out of 12,782 tests that were received. This was a considerable drop in reported tests and positive test results, but it comes after a snowstorm Feb. 1 disrupted testing and vaccination administration.

There now have been 257,004 cases of COVID-19 since last March, and more than 5.8 million molecular and antigen tests have been done.

Hospitalizations continued to decline for an 11th day. There was a net decrease of 26 patients to 874 statewide.

There were an additional 24 coronavirus-associated deaths reported Wednesday. This brought the death toll to 7,157.

The state reported Feb. 3 only two new cases in Beacon Falls, Naugatuck and Prospect, and no new coronavirus-associated deaths in the three municipalities. There have been 2,545 cases in Naugatuck, 632 in Prospect and 399 in Beacon Falls since last March.

There have been 80 coronavirus-associated deaths in Naugatuck, five in Beacon Falls and two in Prospect.

Elio Gugliotti contributed to this report.