WATERFORD, CT – Police were called to a CFS in Waterford after a group of New York residents showed up to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, FOX 61 reported. Thursday around 2:00 p.m. a group of residents 75 and older arrived at the pharmacy.
They informed police that they could have signed up for vaccinations on the CVS website, which allowed them to make appointments at the Waterford site at 106 Boston Post Road.
The group of 10 people was from Long Island, according to WFSB-3 TV. To get a vaccine in Connecticut, you must live or work in the state. CVS refused them when they arrived at the store, saying they didn’t meet the criteria.
The group was upset but, according to FOX 61, caused no problems. DPH Commissioner Diedre Gifford said the situation was “unfortunate”, but in the end the double checking system worked and unsuitable people were turned away.
According to WFSB-3 TV, police were called to the store to keep the peace and not make arrests.
A woman from Southold, Long Island, said she was eligible to receive the vaccine under the New York State rule, but was directed to Waterford by the CVS website, despite entering a New York zip code.
CFS officials said the pharmacy is following all state guidelines about the vaccine, but the scheduling portion of its website is now being maintained.
Currently, the state has rolled out Phase 1B of the vaccine program, prioritizing giving the vaccine to residents over the age of 75, since mid-January.
The next targets for the coronavirus vaccine are those aged 65 and older. Afterward, Governor Ned Lamont said he would seek guidance from the federal government, but expected the state to remain focused on “underserved populations.” The governor previously identified those as black, Hispanic, and poorer neighborhoods that are statistically more susceptible to death from COVID-19.