© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Why medical experts say the updated COVID-19 vaccine is as important as ever

The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine vials as the City of Hartford’s Department of Health and Human Services hosted a vaccine clinic for Hartford residents 75 and over at Dunkin’ Donuts Park in Hartford, Connecticut on February 06, 2021.
Joe Amon
/
Connecticut Public
The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine vials as the City of Hartford’s Department of Health and Human Services hosted a vaccine clinic for Hartford residents 75 and over at Dunkin’ Donuts Park in Hartford, Connecticut on February 06, 2021.

The new COVID-19 vaccine is now available in Connecticut. One of the first places New Englanders could get the updated shot was at The Big E, which brought in medical professionals from around the country to help with its vaccination drive.

Josh Bose was one of them. He’s a pharmacist from Kentucky who spent several days at The Big E in West Springfield, Massachusetts, reminding folks why a COVID-19 vaccination should still be a priority.

"This XBB.1.5 variant, as it is circulating, it's shown to be more transmissible than previous variants," he said.

Bose said it's important to maintain vaccine efforts to prevent going back to the dark days of the pandemic, when hospitals were overrun with patients.

“We're trying to keep people from going into the hospital, from ending up on ventilators,” he said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone 6 months and older receive the new vaccine but Florida’s public health officials have said that only people over 65 should get the vaccine.

“Anytime there is a political element to healthcare decisions, I think people have a natural inclination to move to kind of the extremes at the sides,” Bose said.

But he says it is up to “healthcare providers to answer patients' questions and ameliorate their concerns and empower them to make informed decisions.”

He also added that he and his family will get the covid vaccine as well as the flu vaccine.

Learn more

Covid vaccines, as well as flu and RSV vaccines, will be offered to the public at the Big E until Oct. 1 at a clinic in front of the New England Grange Building. Vaccines are offered free of charge, but people are encouraged to bring proof of insurance or a Medicare or Medicaid card.

The clinics will offer seasonal vaccines free of charge, however attendees are encouraged to bring proof of insurance, Medicare or Medicaid card.

Jennifer Ahrens is a producer for Morning Edition. She spent 20+ years producing TV shows for CNN and ESPN. She joined Connecticut Public Media because it lets her report on her two passions, nature and animals.

Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

Related Content
Connecticut Public’s journalism is made possible, in part by funding from Jeffrey Hoffman and Robert Jaeger.