The temptation to make analogies to roller coasters, Whack-a-Mole, or bumper cars aside, Governor Ned Lamont headed to Quassy Amusement Park in neighboring Middlebury on May 12 to tout the latest news about the May 19 rollback of COVID-19 restrictions and the May 13 expansion of vaccine eligibility.

As of that date, the Pfizer-BionNTech COVID-19 vaccine will be available to Connecticut residents between the ages of 12 and 15. According to a release from Governor Ned Lamont, roughly 170,000 Connecticut youths in that age group are now eligible.

“The vaccine is safe, effective, and saving lives,” Governor Lamont said. “Expanding the vaccination program to this age group is going to be incredibly beneficial in terms of getting our schools back to normal and encouraging safe summer enrichment activities.”

“This is welcome news for many parents, school officials, summer camp directors, and students themselves,” Connecticut acting Public Health Commissioner Dr Deidre Gifford said. “Getting this age group vaccinated is a great way to start the summer for many children and their families.”

Gifford said that although COVID-19 generally doesn’t affect children as severely as adults, children are not immune from contracting and getting sick with the virus, nor are they immune from spreading it to adults and others who may not be able to be vaccinated.

“I strongly urge parents with children in this age group to get your children vaccinated,” she said.

Ahead of clinics accommodating that recently approved segment of the population, the Newtown Health District has teamed with several regional partners to provide expanded distribution to the 12-15 age group, as well as to other residents who have decided to become vaccinated.

Health District Director Donna Culbert told The Newtown Bee following the Pfizer announcement that she believes there are many families who have held off on getting their older teens vaccinated, and these upcoming clinics are a perfect opportunity to get all younger household members 12 to 18 on board.

“Maybe even some adults in the household were waiting, so these clinics can be perfect for entire families to get their vaccines out of the way,” Culbert said, adding that she has been busy coordinating with Newtown schools, as well as with neighboring Region 12, as information has evolved to this week’s expansion of age eligibility.

“I have been in regular contact with Lisa Morrissey, the director of health for New Milford, as she has been heading up clinics at John Pettibone Community Center these past many weeks with all versions of the vaccine [Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J] and has done a terrific job,” Culbert said. “She has transitioned to be sure to accommodate the 16- and 17-year-olds most recently, and is poised to start the 12- to 15-year-olds this Saturday.”

Culbert said hundreds of vaccine doses will be distributed May 15 from 7:30 am to 1:30 pm at the Pettibone Center, and parents can register for a shot. Parents should have been notified by the Newtown School District regarding registration, Culbert said.

The appointment registration link shared with parents for this clinic can be accessed by CLICKING HERE.

She said that Community Health Centers, Inc (CHC), which vaccinated many of Newtown’s 16- and 17-year-olds, will vaccinate 12- to 15-year-olds at its Danbury Fair Mall location. And while the district itself will not be hosting any vaccine clinics in the near future, Culbert said there will likely be health care providers as well pharmacies making the vaccine available to these younger candidates.

“We are interested in sharing the many opportunities provided by our trusted local and regional community partners,” Culbert said. “Some of the staff from our local clinics will be working to help support the efforts at the New Milford clinic. In conversation with Anne Dalton, our School Nurse Supervisor, we are very happy to be able to share these opportunities for our families.”

Culbert said the Connecticut Institute For Communities, Inc (CIFC) that runs the school-based health center at the Newtown Middle School is another “well-regarded and trusted partner that will also be vaccinating with Pfizer this coming week.”

CIFC Vax Schedule

The CIFC’s Greater Danbury Community Health Center (GDCHC) notified The Newtown Bee it anticipates its first shipment of Pfizer vaccines to arrive there for use beginning the week of May 17.

For the balance of the month of May, the GDCHC will offer the Pfizer vaccine — the only one approved for patients aged 12-17 — at 132 Main Street from 2 to 4:45 pm on Monday, May 17; Tuesday, May 18; Thursday, May 20; Monday, May 24; and Tuesday, May 25. The center will be closed for Memorial Day.

Any patient of GDCHC is asked to call the pediatric department for an appointment at 203-456-1411. Anyone under age 18 must arrive with a parent or guardian to give consent.

For non-GDCHC patients, appointments for these dates must be made through VAMS. Search “Greater Danbury Community Health Center” for an appointment at guest.vams.cdc.gov/?jurisdiction=CT.

For the balance of the month of May, CIFC GDCHC will also offer walk-in appointments for the Moderna vaccine for adults 18+, from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm and 2 to 3:30 pm, Monday through Friday.

Beginning in June, the GDCHC will offer vaccines to walk-ins from 11 am to 1 pm and 2 to 4:45 pm — note the particulars:

*Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Pfizer only, ages 12+.

*Tuesday, Thursday: Moderna only, ages 18+.

*Later slots up to 5:30 pm may be available by appointment only, in order to ensure patient count and to avoid having “leftover” or discarded doses.

The GDCHC is equipped with 25 individual exam rooms to ensure patient privacy and social distancing, both during vaccine administration and throughout the required observation period. Anyone who lives or works in Connecticut, ages 12 and up, are welcome.

All COVID-19 vaccines, regardless of where they are administered, are free. For answers to questions about the COVID-19 vaccination program or to schedule an appointment, visit ct.gov/covidvaccine.

A list of walk-up clinics that do not require appointments in advance can be found at that site. Those who have further questions or do not have access to the internet can call Connecticut’s COVID-19 vaccine appointment assist line at 877-918-2224.

Also locally, Culbert is continuing to remind residents and others in the community that she is still advocating for the use of face coverings, social distancing, and stepped-up hand-washing for all, especially those who have not yet received a COVID-19 vaccine. Since the first positive Newtown case was logged over a year ago, Culbert has registered 2,101 positive cases, an increase of 22 since last week, along with 66 resident deaths — a number the state adjusted down by one since last week.

Statewide as of May 12, the total of laboratory-confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases reported among Connecticut residents was 344,141. At that point, 243 patients were hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, and the state had lost 8,161 residents.

Rollback Reminder

Lamont arrived at Quassy Wednesday afternoon to welcome students to a high school prom celebration and to tout the expansion of vaccination eligibility and the May 19 rollback of statewide COVID restrictions as Connecticut’s positivity rate hovered under the 2% mark.

Effective Wednesday, May 19, all remaining restrictions will be lifted, except masks will continue to be required in all indoor public settings where social distancing is not possible. These changes are contingent upon a low incidence of COVID-19 and the Connecticut population continuing to get vaccinated.

Gifford and the DPH will also be issuing recommendations for hosting large events like concerts.

On May 1, all restaurants, entertainment, recreation, and theaters became subject to a midnight closing time. Food service continues to be required with alcohol service indoors — indoor bars that do not serve food must remain closed.

No standing bar services is allowed indoors, other than for private events. Tables continue to be subject to an eight-person capacity limit indoors.

Food service will no longer be required with alcohol service outdoors — outdoor bars that do not serve food will be allowed to open. Standing bar service is also allowed outdoors. There will no longer be an eight-person table limit outdoors.

On May 10, Lamont announced that he has signed legislation that extends for another two years the relaxed telehealth services provisions that had been previously established by an emergency executive order due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Telehealth services enable health care providers to interact with patients, including those with Medicaid coverage, by alternative means such as video-conferencing and telephones, without needing to meet in person.

In the pandemic’s early days, in March 2020, Governor Lamont recognized the need to encourage the use of telehealth and issued Executive Order No. 7G, which utilized the emergency authority granted to him to temporarily relax certain state laws that regulate these services, thereby enabling more patients to use telehealth.

The legislation Governor Lamont signed this week, House Bill 5596, allows the relaxed rules to remain in place through at least June 30, 2023.

The extended services:

*Allow expanded types of providers and licensed professions to provide telehealth services, including dentists, behavioral analysists, music therapists, art therapists, physician assistants, physical therapist assistants, and occupational therapy assistants;

*Permit the use of audio-only telehealth services, without requiring video; and

*Permit licensed providers in other states to provide telehealth services to Connecticut residents as long as they have the minimum professional liability insurance coverage.

Associate Editor John Voket can be reached at john@thebee.com.