Patience has been the word of the day, every day, during the coronavirus pandemic, said Stephen Mansfield, director of health for the Ledge Light Health District, during an interview Monday for The Storyline podcast.

Mansfield confirmed what many suspected about the two new categories of Connecticut residents who became eligible to receive the vaccine as of March 1. An estimated 500,000 people, including school and day care personnel and residents over 55, are now eligible to sign up for the vaccine.

He said that at first, "The system won't be able to keep up with the demand" for vaccines, but urged patience.

During the 15-minute interview with Audience Engagement Editor Karen Florin, Mansfield laid out the district's plan to vaccinate school and day care personnel in partnership with Hartford Healthcare and to focus on getting the vaccine to underserved populations.

Mansfield said cases of the virus have decreased for the sixth straight week in the district and schools are faring well. Best of all, he said he doesn't think a return to "a semblance of normalcy" is far away.

Listen to the full interview here or go to bit.ly/storylineLLHD.