Connecticut's 211 United Way COVID-19 vaccine booking hotline has added 75 more staff members to help ease the traffic of callers.

Calling United Way 211 is just one of the ways that seniors 75 and older can make vaccination appointments.

However, reaching an operator is tough right now, but state officials say the call center staff was doubled on Friday, and more workers are coming online this week.

"I want everyone to know that our team is on it. We've been on it pretty much 24/7," says Dr. Deidre Gifford, the acting Connecticut public health commissioner.

In addition to more staff members, the state is putting in place other ways to help seniors with the scheduling process, including partnering with senior centers to assist with signups, working with the CDC to improve the usability of the VAMS online registration portal, and putting together an interactive map to help seniors locate vaccination sites in their area.

Right now, 211 can only book appointments at a site in East Hartford. This week, the state is adding three more sites.

However, those looking to book an appointment online through the VAMS online portal will see there are dozens of locations across the state to choose from.

At the governor's daily news conference on Monday, United Way announced it added 75 call center staffers. But it's been flooded with requests.

"We'd had another 30,000 calls," says Lisa Tepper Bates, of United Way. "I would flag that some of those calls, even though they are coming into the scheduling assistance line, are really more general calls."

Lamont says most people 75 and over should be vaccinated in two to three weeks, paving the way for the next group, those over 65 years old.