COVID-19 Updates 5/22

May 22, 2020

I hope you are continuing to stay strong because we will get through this together. Here is the latest on COVID-19 data, resources, and words of encouragement from local, national, and world leaders.

Local and National Data Updates
(Latest Data as of 4:00PM on Friday, May 22, 2020)

  Confirmed Cases Deaths Tests Completed
Worldwide 5.28 Million 338,655  
U.S. 1.64 Million 97,471 13.7 Million
Connecticut   39,640 3,637 202,328
Waterbury 1,798  148  

For several additional charts and tables containing more data groups, including a town-by-town breakdown of positive cases in each municipality and a breakdown of cases and deaths among age groups, click here.

Positivity for the Future

“I’m fighting and advocating for more testing sites in Inner City locations (meet them where they are)! The numbers already tell us the story - test all the minorities and be very careful of the elderly!" - State Rep. Geraldo Reyes Jr.

CVS Health announced that they are opening 13 new COVID-19 test sites at select CVS Pharmacy drive-thru locations in Connecticut. These test sites, which opened on TODAY, come in addition to the 12 locations the company previously opened in the state on May 15.

These new sites will utilize self-swab tests and will be available to individuals meeting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria, in addition to age guidelines. Patients must register in advance to schedule an appointment. Patients will be required to stay in their cars and directed to the pharmacy drive-thru window where they will be provided with a test kit and given instructions; a CVS Pharmacy team member will observe the self-swab process to ensure it is done properly. Tests will be sent to an independent, third-party lab for processing and the results will be available in approximately three days.

The 13 new CVS Health test sites in Connecticut that will open on Friday, May 22, include:

  • CVS Pharmacy, 81 North Street, Bristol, CT
  • CVS Pharmacy, 292 Spielman Highway, Burlington, CT
  • CVS Pharmacy, 47 Lake Avenue Extension, Danbury, CT
  • CVS Pharmacy, 16 Main Street, East Hartford, CT
  • CVS Pharmacy, 15 Chesterfield Road, East Lyme, CT
  • CVS Pharmacy, 1770 Kings Highway, Fairfield, CT
  • CVS Pharmacy, 1657 Route 12, Gales Ferry, CT
  • CVS Pharmacy, 690 Wethersfield Avenue, Hartford, CT
  • CVS Pharmacy, 57 Providence Pike, Putnam, CT
  • CVS Pharmacy, 229 Hope Street, Stamford, CT
  • CVS Pharmacy, 1938 West Main Street, Stamford, CT
  • CVS Pharmacy, 2005 Norwich-New London Turnpike, Uncasville, CT
  • CVS Pharmacy, 355 Campbell Avenue, West Haven, CT

The 12 previously announced CVS Health test sites that opened on May 15 include:

  • CVS Pharmacy, 7 Durant Avenue, Bethel, CT
  • CVS Pharmacy, 905 South Main Street, Cheshire, CT
  • CVS Pharmacy, 3514 Main Street, Coventry, CT
  • CVS Pharmacy, 54 East High Street, East Hampton, CT
  • CVS Pharmacy, 875 Enfield Street, Enfield, CT
  • CVS Pharmacy, 2639 Main Street, Glastonbury, CT
  • CVS Pharmacy, 1057 Boston Post Road, Guilford, CT
  • CVS Pharmacy, 479 Blue Hills Avenue, Hartford, CT
  • CVS Pharmacy, 150 Washington Street, Hartford, CT
  • CVS Pharmacy, 323 Cromwell Avenue, Rocky Hill, CT
  • CVS Pharmacy, 525 Buckland Street, South Windsor, CT
  • CVS Pharmacy, 1 Hawley Lane, Stratford, CT

For additional information from CVS Health, click here.

Business Self-Certification Process

Connecticut businesses in their phases of reopening must self-certify with the state Department of Economic and Community Development and commit to complying with the state's sector guidelines.

After completing the online self-certification process, businesses will be provided with signage and a badge that employers can voluntarily post at their place of business or website.

You will be required to provide your company name, contact information, and indicate whether you are a minority or veteran-owned business as part of the certification process.

Review the state's sector guidelines to determine whether your business is eligible to reopen.

Individual Sector Guidelines

Connecticut Department of Social Services preparing online access to food with SNAP benefits

The Connecticut Department of Social Services is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, the state’s electronic benefit transfer (EBT) vendor, and participating food retailers to implement SNAP online purchasing in Connecticut.

Federal approval of the state’s plan was received May 20, and system testing is scheduled to be completed on May 29. The beginning of online food purchasing is tentatively scheduled for June 2. When activated, enrollees will be able to use SNAP benefits on their EBT card to purchase eligible food items online for delivery or curbside pickup at participating food retailers.

Participating food retailers to start are Amazon, including Amazon Pantry and Amazon Fresh; 12 Walmart stores (click here for list); and Wakefern Food Corp., which has 22 participating ShopRite stores in state (click here for list).

Based on successful system testing, online SNAP access is currently scheduled to begin on Tuesday, June 2, with all participating outlets online by June 3. A full schedule and contact points will be announced closer to June 2.

To read the federal approval announcement, click here. For more information about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in Connecticut, click here.

Please feel free to contact me at the Capitol at 1-800-842-8267 or by email at Geraldo.Reyes@cga.ct.gov - also please like my Official Facebook Page for news and legislative updates.