Police were called to a CVS in Connecticut after a group of about 10 New York residents, who had made appointments to get the COVID-19 vaccine, were told they could not get the shot.
The Day reports the group was able to schedule appointments through CVS, but when they showed up to the store on Boston Post Road on Thursday, they were told they were not eligible.
To get the vaccine in Connecticut, a person must live or work in the state and fall under the Phase 1A and 1B categories, which include health care personnel, long-term care facility residents, medical first responders, individuals 75 and older.
The Waterford police chief told The Day that they were called to the scene by health officials to help "mitigate the situation" after the group of New Yorkers refused to leave.
The group, which reportedly included Long Island residents, eventually left without getting the vaccine.
Those in the group claimed they received several confirmations of their appointments.
Rockland County resident Brenda Warsaw told WCBS 880 she made the long trip to Connecticut with her husband and her mother after securing an appointment with CVS online.
"After I filled out the forms they send you a confirmation and being a New Yorker I called up just to verify that 'I am a New York resident, is it a problem?' I spoke to the pharmacist, they said, 'No, it is not a problem, you have a confirmation, no problem,'" Warsaw said.
She initially had an appointment for Monday, but rescheduled due to the snowstorm.
"So I got a new confirmation, I called up again and they said, 'Fine, no problem,'" Warsaw said. "I called yesterday before we left just to confirm again."
Warsaw said when they arrived at Waterford around 2:30 p.m. they stopped at a McDonald's across the street. As they were sitting in the parking lot, she got a call from CVS telling her that her appointment was canceled because she's not a Connecticut resident.
"I went ballistic," she said.
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CVS says there is nothing to prevent out-of-state residents from booking appointments, but a message pops up those eligible under the state guidance must live or work in Connecticut.
Warsaw said it's possible she missed that message, saying she was frantic of being locked out of the process.
She said she has tried her doctor, and county health resources in Rockland County but has had no luck, so she is continuing her work to find the vaccine.
A spokesperson for CVS said it is the responsibility of patients to make sure they meet residency requirements when making an appointment to be vaccinated, the Associated Press reported.
Gov. Ned Lamont addressed the situation at his Thursday briefing, stressing that in addition to meeting the state's eligibility requirements, the individual must also live or work in the state to get the vaccine.
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"You gotta live here in Connecticut or work here in Connecticut, you gotta identify yourself as such when you sign on to that CVS site to make that appointment for your vaccination, you're going to have to show proof of where you're from and you're going to have to show proof that you're over the age of 75," Lamont said.
"We have a reciprocal agreement with all of our neighboring states that we'll vaccinate people who either live or work, but we're not entertaining people who are coming across the border who don't live or work here for vaccines and I understand that some folks were caught at that facility and I'm glad that's been addressed," said Connecticut Chief Operating Officer Josh Geballe.
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