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This week, federal health officials announced that beginning the week of Monday, Sept. 20, third booster COVID-19 vaccine shots will be available to the public, citing concerns that the efficacy of Pfizer and Moderna vaccinations wanes after approximately eight months.
In response, Lamont proclaimed that Connecticut - which had one of the most effective initial rollouts of the vaccine in the country earlier this year - is ready once the recommendation was made official.
Currently, immunocompromised people are eligible to receive the COVID-19 booster shot, with it becoming more widely available on Sept. 20.
“We’ve got access to the vaccines,” he said. “We have the distribution system in place.”
Dr. Deidre Gifford, the acting director of the state’s Department of Public Health, said that walk-in appointments will be available for some booster shots, and if the demand is great enough for the third shot, mass vaccination sites are a possibility, with the state’s Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS) up and running to help book appointments.
“We’ve done a lot of work on the VAMS system,” she stated. “We got a lot of feedback and we’ve made a lot of improvements.”
The booster shots have been recommended for all Americans, regardless of age, particularly as the Delta variant surges across the country.
Pfizer officials noted that “given the high levels of immune responses observed, a booster dose given within six to 12 months after the primary vaccination schedule may help maintain a high level of protection against COVID-19.”
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