1st CT Nursing Home Residents, Staffers Get Coronavirus Vaccines

WEST HARTFORD — The first coronavirus shots in Connecticut nursing homes have been administered.

Gov. Ned Lamont Friday staged a demonstration at The Reservoir in West Hartford to announce the launch of Connecticut’s nursing home vaccination program. He was joined by Connecticut Department of Public Health Acting Commissioner Dr. Deidre Gifford, as well as representatives from Genesis HealthCare – the company that operates the nursing home – and representatives from CVS Health – one of two health companies that will be administering vaccines at Connecticut's long-term care facilities.

Several staff members were publicly administered the vaccine outside the facility.

Then, a resident of the facility, 95-year-old Jeanne Peters, was administered the vaccine inside.

The vaccines arrived in the state about nine months after the first infection, Lamont said.

Under a federal and state initiative, involving Connecticut and three other states, up to five nursing homes could begin vaccinating staff and residents sooner than the state's target of Dec. 21 for long-term care facilities.

Lamont said about 20,000 long-term care residents and the staff could receive both doses of the vaccine by the end of January.

Matt Barrett, the president and CEO the Connecticut Association of Health Care Facilities/Connecticut Center for Assisted Living and Mag Morelli, the president of LeadingAge Connecticut called the vaccinations a "milestone achievement" and "cause for optimism."

They added, "We are offering our highest praise for the nursing home residents and staff stepping forward today to be among the first vaccinated from Connecticut’s long term care community. The vaccine is a beacon of light pointing to the other side of this epic public health emergency, and the individuals who will be vaccinated today deserve our appreciation for the example they are setting. No community has had a deeper and more profound understanding of the devastation COVID-19 can bring. Today brings great optimism because we know that the more residents and staff vaccinated, the greater protection our long-term care community will have."