Vaccination Updates and Public Hearing Info

vaccine
March 22, 2021
Last week, 8 people were killed in Atlanta, 6 of whom were Asian, 7 of whom were women. Anti-Asian violence has increased here in the United States and even globally.

In May 2020 the

 U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres encouraged governments to “act now to strengthen the immunity of our societies against the virus of hate.” As a government leader, neighbor and parent, I stand against the virus of hate and the violence against these victims. It is up to us as both governments and individuals to combat all forms of hate, including against our Asian American community. May we continue to be upstanders and support those in our community who feel vulnerable or at risk.
Last Monday and again today the Planning & Development Committee, which I co-chair, conducted public hearings on a number of zoning proposals. Beginning next Monday, March 29th at 7:00 pm I will be hosting a series of conversations to discuss the bills before the committee as well as hear from all of you. I will be joined by proponents of the proposals and others to talk about the content of the bills. I look forward to the opportunity to continue to engage in a dialogue with all of you in the coming weeks. Over the course of this week, I will share more of the specifics and background on some of the major proposals before the committee.

More information on this will be coming tomorrow.
Vaccine Eligibility

On Friday, I was fortunate enough to become eligible for the vaccine, as a member of the 45 and older age group. Some of you may be like me, still trying to get an appointment. Keep trying, keep refreshing and know that vaccine supply continues to increase each week. You can continue to

 check for available appointments here.
 
Vaccinating Homebound Residents

If you or someone you know is homebound and needs a vaccine, a vaccinator can come to you. The Connecticut Department of Public Health has released a new form for people requesting homebound vaccinations. You can

 fill out the form here and once you become eligible in the current phase, you will be contacted to schedule an appointment for COVID-19 vaccination. You do not need to register in this form if you have other options for getting the COVID-19 vaccine. For FAQs, please click here.

The information you enter will be used for purposes of scheduling your vaccination and will be kept private.

CDC Releases New Guidelines for Vaccinated Individuals

With roughly

 20% of U.S. residents having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, many of us are wondering when we can return to a semblance of our pre-pandemic lives. We’re all eager to see friends and family in-person rather than through a screen, go out to eat, or listen to live music again, particularly in light of the upcoming loosening of certain restrictions in Connecticut.

To that end, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued new guidelines on what kinds of activities are safe to resume after you and your family are fully vaccinated.

According to the CDC, once you are fully vaccinated:
  • You can gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask.
  • You can gather indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household (for example, visiting with relatives who all live together) without masks, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
  • If you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms.
    • However, if you live in a group setting (like a correctional or detention facility or group home) and are around someone who has COVID-19, you should still stay away from others for 14 days and get tested, even if you don’t have symptoms.

The CDC does still recommend that everyone, including those fully vaccinated, continue to wear masks and practice social distancing when in a public place or at a social gathering with unvaccinated people from multiple households.