Here's How Folks Age 65+ Can Register For Coronavirus Vaccine

EAST HAVEN, CT —With the welcome for many news that beginning Thursday, people age 65 become eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, here's how to register for the shots.

According to the state Department of Public Health, and local health departments including East Shore District Health Department, the first step is to sign-up online on the Vaccination Administration Management System, dubbed VAMS.

Next, wait for the registration confirmation email, which reportedly arrives within 24 hours or less, then complete the registration by creating a login and then choose the location and time slot.

As one local health official told Patch, for a number of the elderly now eligible for the vaccine, electronic communication may pose some difficulty, especially for those folks in their 70s and older, who do not have an email address. In that case, the registration can be done by phone, and there are also volunteers who help the elderly with the process. For those who need to do this by phone, call 877-918-2224, the health department registration line which operates 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

What you need to know about signing up in shoreline towns

For those 65 and older, East Shore Health District vaccine registration begins Thursday. Sign up on the VAMS portal. Clinics are held Wednesday in Branford, Thursday in Madison and Friday in East Haven.

In East Haven, the vaccine clinic staffed by medical reserves from the East Shore District Health Department, volunteers from the community, and Town Hall staff, is held on Fridays.

Read more here.

In Branford, the vaccine clinic is held at the Canoe Brook Senior Center, 46 Church St., Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., based on the availability of vaccine. There are a limited number of appointments and people must have registered and have an appointment. Like all clinics use the VAMS portal online to get the process going. That said, like other towns, people who do not have computer access and need assistance with the registration process should contact the Canoe Brook Senior Center COVID Vaccine hotline at 203-315-0685.

In Guilford, the process is similar. The vaccine clinic is held weekly at the Nathanael B. Greene Community Center.

Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz visited the clinic this week.

In Madison, Senior Services director Austin Hall noted that there are a number of ways folks 65 and older may register for the vaccine.

1. By using your Yale New Haven Health MyChart account or by calling them at 475-246-9780
2. By using your Middlesex Hospital MyChart.
3. Enrolling in the VAMS system at dphsubmissions.ct.gov/onlinevaccine or by calling 877-918-2224
4. By visiting CVS.com on or after Thursday, February 11th.
5. If you do not have access to a computer or email address, you can contact the Madison Senior Center at 203-245-5627 and we will assist you in the process of scheduling an appointment. Please be aware that call volumes are high. Please leave a message and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Hall said that seniors who are home bound, people who are physically unable to leave their homes, should contact the Senior Center as the town is compiling a list of Madison residents that are in this category. Hall says people should leave a "clear message" including name, address and phone number.
And, he said, people who know of homebound seniors in need of help, should call the Senior Center.