HARTFORD, Conn. — A Hartford woman looking to schedule a vaccine for a family member tells FOX61 she was told by CVS she couldn't’ because her family member did not have an ID.
She's now speaking out to remind individuals you should never be turned away when looking for a vaccine.
Hartford resident Constanza Segovia said she was attempting to schedule an appointment for a family member early Monday morning through a CVS Community Clinic call center.
She said things were going smoothly until she was asked for an ID. She was unable to provide an ID and said she was told by a CVS employee they were only vaccinating U.S. citizens.
“I was livid because I knew she was wrong,” Segovia said. “I said there must be a way for me to show you proof of address, something and she said no I'm really going to need a state ID.”
Senator Matt Lesser stepped in as soon as he saw the tweet and said it’s important residents know what the truth is when it comes to scheduling a vaccine.
“I reached out to CVS right away, CVS Aetna, which has a big presence in Hartford, and they responded right away, it seems like something went wrong and they’re still trying to see what that is,” Lesser said. “You don’t have to have insurance, you don’t have to be a citizen, everybody in this country 16 and up should be getting the vaccine and that’s something people need to know they have the right to, you don’t need a social security number, you just need to be 16 and older.”
Currently, CVS Pharmacy runs 26 locations in Connecticut that are administering the vaccine. CVS did respond with a statement:
“If a patient does not have insurance, we are required by the health resources and services administration to ask the patient to provide either a social security number or valid driver’s license/ state ID number. However, uninsured patients are not required to provide this information in order to receive a vaccine from us. we are following up with our call center agents to reiterate our procedures for vaccinating uninsured patients.”
The State Department of Public Health also spoke out. Officials stressed everyone who wants a covid shot will get one regardless of immigration status, lack of insurance, or lack of a state-issued ID.
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