News release from Mayor’s Office:
The City of Bridgeport Health Department clinical staff and volunteers assembled for the second week of vaccine distribution at the Mass Vax Clinic for eligible individuals with a VAMS appointment to receive their vaccination at Central High School. The primary focus of the on-site team was to expand the clinic operations and provide vaccine access to individuals that are 75 years of age or older.
Mayor Ganim stated, “We will continue, as we get more supply, to vaccinate as many people as possible in the City of Bridgeport. This week the clinic will expand its hours and also be open on Saturday. Please remember, even after the vaccine, that the same guidelines we’ve been following still apply–continue to wear a mask, social distance, and get tested often.”
Acting Deputy Director of Health Operations Tammy Papa stated, “For those who are eligible and interested in receiving the vaccine, the process at our mass vaccination site is simple and it’ll only take between fifteen to thirty minutes from when you arrive for your appointment. The challenge for some individuals has been navigating through VAMS to make an appointment but the Bridgeport Health Department is available to help with that as well.”
VAMS is the “Vaccine Administration Management System” provided by the CDC; a web based platform being utilized by Connecticut and states across the country to register individuals for the COVID Vaccine. As this system is web-based, all interested persons need to have a computer, wi-fi, and email address in order to register themselves for the vaccine. Bridgeport officials are working to provide all residents with information on how to register and provide support to those that are not able to do it themselves.
Bridgeport MRC Volunteers and Health Department employees have begun distributing “COVIDVaxFacts” info-cards to Senior Centers, houses of worship and testing sites throughout Bridgeport to assist in the providing COVID Vax education and registration information.
City officials encourage residents to support family members and neighbors that do not have access to the Internet by assisting with the VAMS registration process.
— Residents may click this link or the “VAMS” step-by-step instructional guide.
— Senior residents in need of information or help with registering for the vaccine may call the Bridgeport Senior Center at 203-576-7993, Monday through Thursday from 10am to 2pm for assistance.
Visit GetVaxBPT.com or contact the Bridgeport Health Department at 203-576-7468 for additional COVID-19 vaccine information. For more updates, follow the City of Bridgeport on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. To view testimonials from individuals that have received the COVID-19 vaccine, click here.
Congratulations Mayor Ganim on supporting access to COVID vaccinations. I registered with VAMS but the only location that they put forth was in East Hartford and I was not that desperate so let it pass this week. Then I heard from someone that they were just leaving for Shelton to the Griffin Distribution site with phone # 203-433-3394. Within ten minutes of the call I was able to make an appointment next Monday in the AM at a convenient time.
They also booked me in for the second shot four weeks later at this time. I am in the 1-B group over age 75 and with some material health history.
I am thankful that efforts at providing product are bearing fruit to us rather than frustration. This reference is made available to you in a neighborly way as I tried the phone number above earlier and made no progress towards scheduling though got to speak with a nice person. Best health to you. Time will tell.
Any Connecticut resident who is 75 or older can schedule an appointment to get vaccinated by going to YNHH’s vaccine scheduling website, by calling 1-833-ASK-YNHH (275-9644), or by signing up with the state’s Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS).
New Haven has set up a wait list for seniors between 65 and 75 years old to get Covid-19 vaccines that would otherwise go to waste.
Right now the state is vaccinating people over 75 (as well as first responders and medical workers). The next step will be to vaccinate people between 65 and 75.
But sometimes the day ends with doses that were not administered and would therefore be thrown out. So the health department has established a standy list of people in the next category of recipients. People on that list may get called at the end of the day to come use the otherwise-wasted doses.
To get on the list, call 203-946-6999.
Tags: Covid-19, vaccinations, seniors
“Bridgeport Senator Marilyn Moore discusses racial inequality following vaccine distribution | fox61.com”
Senator Moore wrote a letter to Commissioner of Public Health Deidre Gifford in an effort to come up with better solutions to vaccinate people in Bridgeport, Connecticut’s most populist city. Moore added that Bridgeport does not have a health director which means no one is assigned to ensure its community gets information regarding the COVID-19 vaccine or how to make an appointment.
https://www.fox61.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/vaccine/bridgeport-senator-marilyn-moore-discusses-racial-inequality-following-vaccine-distribution/520-2464f9b2-ac24-481b-aa01-d74353ff3f01