WATERFORD, CT – Police were called to a CVS in Waterford after a group of New York residents showed up to receive the COVID-19 vaccines, FOX 61 reported. A group of residents over 75 showed up at the pharmacy around from 2pm on Thursday.
They informed the police that they had been allowed to apply for vaccines on the CVS website, which allowed them to make appointments at the Waterford site at 106 Boston Post Road.
The group of 10 people came from Long Island, according to WFSB-3 TV. To receive a vaccine in Connecticut, you must live or work in the state. CVS denied them when they arrived at the store, saying they did not meet the criteria.
The group was upset, but did not cause any problems, according to FOX 61. DPH commissioner Diedre Gifford said the situation was “unhappy”, but in the end the double check system worked and ineligible people were rejected.
Police were called to the store to keep the peace, not to make any arrests, according to TV WFSB-3.
A Southold woman, Long Island, said she qualified under New York state rules to receive the vaccine, but was directed through the CVS website to Waterford, despite entering a New York postcode.
CVS officials said the pharmacy is following all state guidelines on the vaccine, but the scheduling section of its website is undergoing maintenance.
Currently, the state is implementing Phase 1B of the vaccination program, prioritizing vaccination in residents over 75 since mid-January.
The next targets for the coronavirus vaccine are those aged 65 and over. After that, said Governor Ned Lamont, he will seek guidance from the federal government, but he imagined that the state would remain focused on “needy populations”. The governor previously identified the black, Hispanic and poorest neighborhoods that are statistically more susceptible to dying from COVID-19.