Mashantucket Tribe Has Distributed More Than 10,000 Vaccines

MASHANTUCKET, CT —The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation has distributed more than 10,000 vaccines to protect folks from COVID-19 since it opened its clinic at Foxwoods Resort Casino, in partnership with Hartford Healthcare, three weeks ago.

The largest vaccination center in the Hartford Healthcare network, the casino also set a record for the highest number of vaccinations in one day with 1,532 shots March 20. Fox woods also has the distinction of having the "highest daily vaccination average of all 22 sites in the Hartford Healthcare system," the Tribe said in a news release.

“The vaccination site at Foxwoods has been a wonderful opportunity for us to help keep the larger Connecticut community safe and healthy,” Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation Chief Medical Officer Dr. Setu Vora said.

“We are thrilled with the progress we’ve made so far and look forward to continue working with Hartford Healthcare to vaccinate as many residents as possible and work closer towards reaching the end of this pandemic.”

And, it notes that as part of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation’s "commitment to keep everyone safe and help alleviate burden on the local community," the Tribe also started vaccinating frontline workers in December 2020, gradually expanding with the goal of vaccinating the entire tribal nation and Foxwoods workforce. The Tribe says that to date, round 65 percent of Foxwoods team members have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and over 40 percent are fully vaccinated.

“The partnership between Hartford Healthcare, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and Foxwoods Resort Casino has been instrumental to our ability to rapidly vaccinate as many people as possible throughout Eastern Connecticut,” Hartford Healthcare and president of Backus and Windham Hospitals senior vice president Donna Handley said. “We believe that by providing this access to our communities it will help us win the race against COVID, bring closure to this pandemic and allow us to move forward with our lives. It’s something that we all want, and through a combination of getting vaccinated, wearing masks and physical distancing, it’s an achievable goal.”

For more details on what to expect when arriving at Foxwoods, please visit foxwoods.com/vaccine. For updates on the state’s phased rollout, visit ct.gov/covidvaccine. For more information about Hartford HealthCare vaccination efforts, visit hartfordhealthcare.org/vaccine.