COVID-19

Eligible Connecticut residents are entitled to a free COVID vaccine. All of the vaccines have been thoroughly tested and are safe. By getting your vaccine, you are protecting yourself, your family and your community. 

Eligibility is based on age. Currently, CT residents age 16+ are eligible to receive the vaccine. 

There are several ways to sign up to receive a vaccination.

Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS)

To do this you must self-register online at ct.gov/CovidVaccine (CT Department of Public Health) website. The registration requires an email address. If you do not have an email, you will need to create one for this purpose.

CT Vaccine Appointment Assistance line 

The second way is to register by phone by calling the CT Vaccine Appointment Assistance line,  877-918-2224 or 211. The phone system is designed to help those who have limited access to technology, or who have language, disability, or other barriers. The help line is open Monday through Friday, from 8:00AM to 4:30PM. It offers a callback option when all lines are busy.

Other Health Providers 

In addition to VAMS, there are over 100 healthcare providers across the state that are offering the vaccine. Providers include UConn Health, Hartford Healthcare, Trinity Healthcare of New England and Yale New Haven Health.

In addition vaccines are now offered at select pharmacies including CVS, Walgreens, Walmart and Rite-Aid. All locations require registration and an appointment – no walk-ins are allowed. The Connecticut COVID Vaccine Portal has a list of all providers. Go to: https://portal.ct.gov/Vaccine-Portal.

Public Service Messages 

Public service messages on the importance of getting the COVID vaccine and the phone number to call are here in English, Spanish and American Sign Language:

• Spanish (30 second ) 
• Spanish (15 second)
• English (30 second )
• English (15 second )
• American Sign Language 

Transportation

If you need a ride to a vaccine clinic, ITNCentral CT is offering friendly, affordable transportation to elderly and visually impaired residents. Please call 860-508-9847 for this service. ITN’s office is located at Town Hall. 

Dial-A-Ride also provides transportation its members.

Residents who have questions about obtaining a COVID vaccine can now call West Hartford’s Vaccine Information Line at 860-561-6998.

Library staff will operate the Information Line Monday-Friday, 10AM to 5PM and on Saturday, 10AM to 1PM.  They will have up-to-date information on existing ways to register for the vaccine and will be able to offer assistance in answering questions about the process.

Residents cannot register for the vaccine through the Information Line. Instead, the service is intended to provide guidance and accurate information regarding the vaccination process.

Staff will track the types of questions asked so that the Town can address gaps in information or service.

The call center staff will have information compiled from a variety of sources including the West Hartford-Bloomfield Health District, Leisure and Social Services, Emergency Management, and the Fire Department. As new vaccines and service providers come online, the Information Line will be informed.

A newly formed and state-authorized At-Risk Community Health program, or ARCH, was established in partnership between the West Hartford Fire Department and the Health District to provide mobile vaccinations to homebound residents who have specific mobility issues that prevent them from obtaining the vaccine through other methods. The program began operation on Wednesday, February 10, 2021.

ARCH is reserved for residents who meet the State age criteria and have unusual or exceptional circumstances that limit their access to the vaccine due to the logistics of transportation and administration at the clinic sites.

To receive a vaccine through the ARCH program, complete the sign-up form here. The Health District will review the form, and when approved, a Fire Department paramedic and a Register Nurse will come to the resident’s home to administer the vaccine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reminds us to take precautions by wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds even if we are vaccinated. Please keep this in mind while in West Hartford Center and other public places.

Take these precautions whenever you are:

• In public
• Gathering with unvaccinated people from more than one other household
• Visiting with an unvaccinated person who is at increased risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19 or who lives with a person at increased risk

You should still avoid medium or large-sized gatherings.

You should still delay domestic and international travel. If you do travel, you’ll still need to follow CDC requirements and recommendations. 

You should still watch out for symptoms of COVID-19, especially if you’ve been around someone who is sick. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should get tested and stay home and away from others.

You will still need to follow guidance at your workplace.

For now, if you’ve been fully vaccinated (see definition below), you should still take steps to protect yourself and others.

COVID-19 vaccines teach our immune systems how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. It typically takes two weeks after vaccination for the body to build protection (immunity) against the virus that causes COVID-19. That means it is possible a person could still get COVID-19 before or just after vaccination and then get sick because the vaccine did not have enough time to provide protection. 

People are considered fully protected two weeks after their second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, or two weeks after the single-dose Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine.

After you are fully vaccinated, you may be able to start doing some things you had stopped doing because of the pandemic. Learn more about what you can do when you have been fully vaccinated.

Thank you for protecting your community by continuing to do your part!

If you need a ride to a vaccine clinic, ITNCentral CT is offering friendly, affordable transportation to elderly and visually impaired residents. Please call 860-508-9847 for this service. ITN’s office is located at Town Hall. 

Dial-A-Ride also provides transportation its members.

FREE COVID-19 Testing for adults and children will be held at Elmwood Community/Senior Center (enter via Burgoyne Street). Testing is held outside. Please visit us at the upper parking lot. The PCR COVID-19 test is administered by InterCommunity Health Care.

No out-of-pocket costs; please bring your insurance card. No appointment necessary. Everyone is welcome; pre-registration is not required!

Testing will be conducted on Tuesdays 9:00AM-4:00PM.

For more information, contact West Hartford-Bloomfield Health District at 860-561-7900.

The State of Connecticut has an official COVID-19 exposure notification app, COVID Alert CT. The app, available for Apple and Android mobile devices, informs users if they may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 – all without sharing any personal information.

Here’s how it works:

• First, users should visit ct.gov/covidalertct, where they can find instructions on how to download the app for their specific device.
• Once installed, the app uses Bluetooth to sense whether a user’s device has been within 6 feet of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more in one day – without sharing any personal information.
• If a user has been near another person who has tested positive and is also using the app on their personal device, an alert will be triggered notifying the user that they may have been exposed to COVID-19.
• A notification will not be triggered if two devices in this scenario are just passing by for a short duration or stay more than 6 feet away from each other.

If a user tests positive:

• A contact tracer from the Connecticut Department of Public Health, their local health department, or their higher education institution will ask them if they are willing to share the “close contact” codes their app has logged while they may have been contagious.
• If the user agrees, a contract tracer will provide them with a verification code.
• Once that code is submitted through the user’s app, those individuals who came within 6 feet of that user for more than 15 minutes and who also are using the app will receive a notification on their device that they were in close contact with someone with COVID-19.
• Sharing this status is secure and private. The app will never reveal who the user is to anyone else.

The governor explained that this app is not a replacement for the state’s contact tracing system, but can supplement it in an incredibly helpful way. When people test positive in Connecticut, they are directed to get in touch with a contact tracer.

“We’re making every effort to stop the spread of COVID-19 in Connecticut,” Governor Lamont said. “This app is another tool to make sure that every resident of our state has what they need to combat this pandemic from the ground up. This app also complements – but doesn’t replace – our broader contact tracing program, which is an invaluable resource in combating the pandemic and ensuring those who need it have the tools necessary to self-isolate or quarantine.”

“To stop the spread of COVID-19, we each need to do our part, and we hope everyone with a smartphone will participate in this new program,” Connecticut’s Chief Operating Officer Josh Geballe said. “This is just one example of how we are leveraging modern technology to fight this pandemic and keep Connecticut safe.”

“Contact tracing is a critical part of the public health response to COVID-19,” Connecticut’s Acting Public Health Commissioner Dr. Deidre Gifford said. “Any effort to supplement that program could be a crucial step in stopping the spread of the virus. If even one person is in touch with a contact tracer and discusses their contacts for the past 14 days, it could result in a chain reaction that stops dozens or more from getting infected.”

For instructions on how to download the app and to read other information about its use, visit ct.gov/covidalertct.

Be sure to sign-up for the state’s new notification service, called COVIDCT.  Persons who opt-in will receive COVID-19 updates by phone, text and email.  You can register by going to ct.gov/CovidUpdates or texting COVIDCT to 888777. 

The West Hartford Fire Department keeps an updated database of residents that would need, perhaps, more assistance should an incident occur at their residence. Please complete the online Special Needs Registry form. 

Town buildings, including Town Hall, is open by appointment for in-person transactions. These appointments are for critical needs that can only be accomplished in-person.

Drop-in visits are not permitted.  Outside doors will remain locked. All town departments continue to operate, providing services to residents and businesses, while the physical building is closed to the public. Most transactions can be conducted via the town’s website, by phone, email and postal mail.

Upon arrival, visitors with an appointment can expect the following:

• Be greeted outside by a staff person from the department you are visiting
• Be required to wear a face covering
• Given some hand sanitizer
• Be asked if he/she has traveled outside of Connecticut in the last 14 days? If so, where?
• Asked to complete a health screening form with their own pen. Questions will include:
• Have you had an exposure of more than 10 minutes and closer than 6 feet to a person who had a test confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 in the previous 14 days?
• Have you had close contact with or cared for someone diagnosed with COVID-19 within the last 14 days?
• Have you experienced any cold or flu-like symptoms in the last 14 days (fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, muscle pain, headache, or new loss of taste or smell)?

Visitors answering ‘yes’ to any of the above questions, will not be permitted access into the building and will be given an alternate manner in which to complete the transaction.

Once inside the building, visitors will be escorted to the intended destination.

“The COVID-19 global pandemic has drastically changed how we conduct our business for the foreseeable future.  The safety of our employees and customers is paramount and is the primary consideration of all our actions,” said Town Manager Matt Hart.

“On behalf of the Town Council, we are glad to be able to open our buildings for critical services that can only be conducted in-person,” said Mayor Shari Cantor. “We are proceeding with each step cautiously to ensure we are doing the right thing at the right time.”

Food Pantry - The Food Pantry is now operating a curbside distribution outside the main entrance of Town Hall on:
Tuesday 3:30–5:30PM, 
Wednesday 9:00–11:00AM,
and Friday 10:00AM-12:00PM. 

Food Donation - Small amounts of food may be dropped off at Town Hall during the times listed above. To arrange for a large donation drop-off, please contact Suzanne Oslander at 860-561-7580 or email SuzanneO@westhartfordct.gov to arrange for a scheduled time. Visit our Food Pantry web page to see the list of the most needed non-perishable food.

Find out more information on grocery stores hours and delivery service, SNAP (food stamps), and Fern Street backpack program http://www.westhartfordlibrary.org/services/food_programs.asp

Donate food or funds to the West Hartford Food Pantry or The Town That Cares. Food donations may be dropped off at a tent at Town Hall's main entrance (near flagpole) during the times below. 

Tuesday, 3:30PM-5:30PM
Wednesday, 9:00AM - 11:00PM
Friday, 10:00AM-12:00PM

Please contact Suzanne Oslander, 860-561-7580 at the food pantry for large donations so that we can make special arrangements.

Click here to make a donation online or you can mail checks payable to The Town That Cares to:

West Hartford Town Hall
50 South Main Street, Room 130
West Hartford, CT 06107 

People want to know how they can help. Please use this Volunteer Form to help us collect contact information. We are monitoring the needs of our community and will connect volunteers with assignments on an as-needed basis.