COVID Vaccination

[JustbrewitMan]

I am 56 and became eligible to get the vaccine today. The earliest scheduled appointment through the VAMS website is May 5th. You can't log into the Hartford Healthcare website to schedule an appointment (it gives you an error code), and CVS and Walmart and Uconn says there are all booked.

The Walgreen's website shows they have appointments for this week for the first shot, but then says it cannot schedule your second shot so it won't book your first appointment????? None of the phone numbers anywhere work.

Anybody have any luck getting an earlier appointment of any tips or tricks to do it?

This may be a little tl;dr, but hopefully you find this info helpful...I've been neck-deep in everything to do with COVID vaccination (critical analysis of the research, planning logistics for clinics, administering doses (~800+ doses personally, so far. A great feeling!!!). Feel free to PM me if you have questions.


***Like others have mentioned, just keep trying at multiple appt booking locations (VAMS, and direct scheduling at the big hospitals [UConn Health, Hartford, Yale,etc.) is good general advice...By the way, in case anyone was wondering, all the big hospitals use their own systems as it avoids the big clunky confusing VAMS system, and it also allows for easier integration of the data into permanent medical records.

***Also, keep checking direct booking through the Pharmacies...


Other good advice (some of which is reiteration/reinforcement of other snippets in this thread):

1. Book your first available chances through VAMS. But keep checking back there. You can always go back and cancel/reschedule as more appointments open up. And I'm sure they will....amounts distributed are ramping up bigly over the next month or so...
2. During the next couple months, don't expect to get your choice of Pfizer vs. Moderna vs. Janssen(J&J). You're going to get whatever the vaccine site gets allotted for that week.
3. The best vaccine you can get is the first vaccine you can get! They all provide INCREDIBLE protection from severe/life-threatening infection (nearly 100%), and they all provide ~70%+ protection against infection in general. Yes, the % numbers are higher for Pfizer/Moderna vs. Janssen/J&J, but it's an apples-to-oranges comparison. For a nice discussion of this, check this link out from a reputable dude: One-Dose Vaccine on its Way: New Tool May Arrest the Pandemic’s Progression - UConn Today
4. We have strict instructions from DPH to use it all up ASAP (within the week of delivery). If we don't, it impacts (descreases ) our future weeks' allotments!!!
5. There may be a preference towards allotment of the Janssen/J&J to places/populations/clinics within CT where it will be harder to assure/schedule 2nd-dose administration, as well as harder to deliver vaccine that requires freezing (Janssen/J&J stores at refrigerator temps for >=30 days)

Good luck! I am confident that CT's current plan and vaccine allottments give us a very strong change of getting close to herd immunity by summer/early fall...

 

[JustbrewitMan]

Im willing to wait a year by then testing should more available, I know theres others who need it more then me. Sports will make the time go faster.

There's no way you should have to wait more than another 2-3 months if you're in CT.

 

[husky429]

1. Book your first available chances through VAMS. But keep checking back there. You can always go back and cancel/reschedule as more appointments open up. And I'm sure they will....amounts distributed are ramping up bigly over the next month or so...

Thanks for what you're doing!

FWIW it doesn't look to me like you can reschedule anything after you've set one up through VAMS.

 

[Fishy]

When you get a vaccine is almost entirely a mix of luck and effort. There are no tips aside from bookmarking sites and visiting them often.

In late January, I spent several hours over a period of a week trying to get my mother an appointment. I managed to get her one in late March at a mass vaccine site in Westchester. Last week, I spent nine seconds calling a local hospital asking if I could put her on a waiting list there and that resulted in an appointment for tomorrow.

Put in the effort and hope for luck.

 

[87Xfer]

When you get a vaccine is almost entirely a mix of luck and effort. There are no tips aside from bookmarking sites and visiting them often.

In late January, I spent several hours over a period of a week trying to get my mother an appointment. I managed to get her one in late March at a mass vaccine site in Westchester. Last week, I spent nine seconds calling a local hospital asking if I could put her on a waiting list there and that resulted in an appointment for tomorrow.

Put in the effort and hope for luck.

potentially dumb question, but you can't do any of that until you're part of a currently eligible "tier", right? (well aside from bookmarking and visiting websites...)

 

[upstater]

I am 56 and became eligible to get the vaccine today. The earliest scheduled appointment through the VAMS website is May 5th. You can't log into the Hartford Healthcare website to schedule an appointment (it gives you an error code), and CVS and Walmart and Uconn says there are all booked.

The Walgreen's website shows they have appointments for this week for the first shot, but then says it cannot schedule your second shot so it won't book your first appointment????? None of the phone numbers anywhere work.

Anybody have any luck getting an earlier appointment of any tips or tricks to do it?

I think you'll have better luck soon since Conn. is on top of things relative to many other states.

I got May in NY as well, but then they opened up a local mass vacc center and I logged on again and landed a spot next week.

They are opening centers with more availability soon in many states.

In PA, they haven't even managed to get to the elderly yet. It's a scandal down there.

Keep trying.

(Also, in Conn., I booked my 86 year old Mom into a place 45 minutes from her house in Shelton, as there was nothing close by).

EDIT: Just figured out why Pennsylvania is a disaster. Apparently, the regional director of Walgreens screwed up and directed the pharmacy to give out 100,000 shots that were meant to be 2nd doses. Doh! And apparently the state still doesn't know what to do except hold everything up until they have enough for second doses.

 

[Kolumbo]

I'm holding off until the dust settles.

 

[Captbluefin]

I was lucky enough to be invited to an all-expenses-paid guided fly fishing trip at a lodge in Montana in mid-june. But I'm only going if I've gotten vaxxed. playing beat the clock here. wish me luck!

Trip of a lifetime. It will be amazing experience best of luck. That trip falls right into prime time !

 

[storrsroars]

I can't speak for CT, but see if you can learn when different places post their new appointment times. Other people know and they will take up all of the available slots within 2 minutes of them being open. I'm in PA and know Rite Aid posts them at midnight, so I got on at 11:50 at night and just kept trying until I succeeded. That's the only way to do it. You have to be quick with a computer too. Research how to use autofill with your browser so you can fly through the information gathering stage once you're trying to get an appointment. I was able to get one because I'm immunocompromised from a medication I take. Going to get it on Wednesday.

Once those new appointments are posted you're competing with God knows how many other people to be the first to click that submit button and seal your appointment. Autofill is your friend.

Edit to add: Don't even look at what appointment time/date it's giving you until after you have it. You can't waste any time. Just take the first one that pops up and figure your life out around it.

Also in PA and that's exactly what my wife did to get appts. Just hammered the keyboard at all hours till she got a slot. Going for 2nd shot tomorrow.

 

[wheelerdog]

The Post University site operated by Waterbury Hospital takes phone reservations. 1-855-440-1278. Use the callback option, they do call back.

 

[IllinoisHuskie]

62, military vet and generally a nice guy. I know its not relative to most here because I live in Illinois but I am scheduled to receive the vaccine through the VA next weekend. If you are a veteran contact the VA.

 

[husky429]

teachersvaccine.ynhh.org

For the teachers in the room. Just got an appointment end of this week in Bridgeport

 

[Improviser]

I got my first one through Yale New Haven Health a few days ago.

This is their website:

YNHH COVID19 Vaccination

covidvaccine.ynhh.org

Right now, they are all booked up but if you leave your information, they will sent you an update on availability.

 

[huskypantz]

The market is about to be flooded with vaccines.

That's a good problem.

 

[RichZ]

I turned 75 the day AFTER they opened it up for me. Could not log in to VAMS because I wasn't yet of age. Logged in the next morning, and had no trouble. Found a place convenient to me that had openings for like 5 weeks later. Made an appointment. A few days later, I get a text that my appointment has been canceled, and I should make another. Log back in, look at the same location, and now I can get a much sooner appointment. And 20 minutes after I make the appointment, it was canceled. Log back in, and find a different outlet that had appointments available for the next day! Grabbed one up. Next morning, I get out of the shower, getting ready to leave for the appointment, and see the message notification blinking on my phone. Yep, 45 minutes before the appointment, it was canceled.
Said the hell with VAMS. Used the Hartford Health app on my phone, made an appointment for a week or so later at St. V's in Bpt, and got the first shot. 2nd shot was scheduled before I left there. In the meantime, they opened it up for my wife's age group, and she couldn't get it through the Hartford Health app, but then went through VAMS and had no problem. Her second shot is set in a couple weeks.
But I think it's getting tougher now and will get much, much tougher in the near future. because Lamont eliminated the non-age based categories (except for teachers, which was entirely to placate the teachers unions). They are adding another 5 year age group every three weeks. Don't these idiots realize that the way they are doing it, each age group is progressively larger? 3 weeks was too short for the over 75 crowd. So there were plenty of 75+ geezers left waiting and they added the larger group of 70-75 geezers in training to the mix. And how many of them are still on the list now, and they added an even bigger group. And so on. It's the equivalent of 5 lanes having to merge into one lane during rush hour -- then a mile down the road, there's another 10 lanes trying to join the party.

 

[SoFla Steve]

I'm down in infamous Broward Cty, FL. Got my first shot of Moderna less than an hour ago at the local Publix. It took longer to schedule an appointment (1 hr) than it did to get the shot (45 mins). Next shot on 3/29.

Would like to visit my family in CT, but the rules keep changing. Do I still need to fill out a form, get a test and quarantine for X number of days? The State site isn't as clear as it could be.

 

[HuskyHawk]

For the people outside of CT, this stuff varies widely by state. In MA nearly everything is going to the mass vaccination sites and a few clinics. The hospitals aren't getting it, the colleges aren't either (and had to return some). That's fine for me living 20 minutes from Gillette, but not for everybody.

In South Carolina my dad had a drive up vaccination on the High School football field. Never got out of his car.

I'm 54 and don't expect to be eligible in MA for a couple of months. Preference is the J&J if I can get it.

 

[HeGotGame]

Took me two weeks of refreshing the site to get my mom scheduled in Mass, but at least when a spot opens its immediate, as the next appointment was the next business day.

 

[superjohn]

Im willing to wait a year by then testing should more available, I know theres others who need it more then me. Sports will make the time go faster.

If you want the vaxx you will be able to get it soon, everyone will be able to get it soon.

 

[Waquoit]

Today was the start of huge new group in Connecticut. Things will open up sooner, rather than later. We have the best infrastructure established.

 

[temery]

The problem is the numbers. I went to the site first thing Thu morning and had 110,000 people ahead of me.

 

[Dooooooomed]

I get my 2nd shot this afternoon.

Good luck tomorrow.

 

[superjohn]

I turned 75 the day AFTER they opened it up for me. Could not log in to VAMS because I wasn't yet of age. Logged in the next morning, and had no trouble. Found a place convenient to me that had openings for like 5 weeks later. Made an appointment. A few days later, I get a text that my appointment has been canceled, and I should make another. Log back in, look at the same location, and now I can get a much sooner appointment. And 20 minutes after I make the appointment, it was canceled. Log back in, and find a different outlet that had appointments available for the next day! Grabbed one up. Next morning, I get out of the shower, getting ready to leave for the appointment, and see the message notification blinking on my phone. Yep, 45 minutes before the appointment, it was canceled.
Said the hell with VAMS. Used the Hartford Health app on my phone, made an appointment for a week or so later at St. V's in Bpt, and got the first shot. 2nd shot was scheduled before I left there. In the meantime, they opened it up for my wife's age group, and she couldn't get it through the Hartford Health app, but then went through VAMS and had no problem. Her second shot is set in a couple weeks.
But I think it's getting tougher now and will get much, much tougher in the near future. because Lamont eliminated the non-age based categories (except for teachers, which was entirely to placate the teachers unions). They are adding another 5 year age group every three weeks. Don't these idiots realize that the way they are doing it, each age group is progressively larger? 3 weeks was too short for the over 75 crowd. So there were plenty of 75+ geezers left waiting and they added the larger group of 70-75 geezers in training to the mix. And how many of them are still on the list now, and they added an even bigger group. And so on. It's the equivalent of 5 lanes having to merge into one lane during rush hour -- then a mile down the road, there's another 10 lanes trying to join the party.

Lamont is probably doing the best job in the country.

 

[Waquoit]

(except for teachers, which was entirely to placate the teachers unions).

Everyone I know thinks the teachers should get the shot sooner rather than later. Owning the libs is so 2020, Rich.

 

[Marat]

For the people outside of CT, this stuff varies widely by state. In MA nearly everything is going to the mass vaccination sites and a few clinics. The hospitals aren't getting it, the colleges aren't either (and had to return some). That's fine for me living 20 minutes from Gillette, but not for everybody.

In South Carolina my dad had a drive up vaccination on the High School football field. Never got out of his car.

I'm 54 and don't expect to be eligible in MA for a couple of months. Preference is the J&J if I can get it.

@HuskyHawk - Curious to hear why the preference for J&J over the moderna, Pfizer ?