Dispelling Misinformation & Other Updates

mccv
August 19, 2021
Over the past couple of weeks, we have seen COVID-19 cases locally and nationwide begin to trend upward again for the first time since the rollout of the vaccine. This is not welcome news and there is an understandable disappointment about the potential of moving backwards. Numbers released Tuesday by our state Department of Public Health show a daily positivity rate of 4.2% with a seven day average of 3.4% This is the highest positivity rates have been since April. Hospitalizations in the state are the highest they have been since early May.
 
As we continue to navigate the pandemic, we know one thing for certain, that the vaccine will help us to definitively move past COVID and its impact on our day-to-day lives. COVID vaccines are readily available at hundreds of locations across Connecticut and I encourage everyone who is eligible to receive the vaccine. You can also text your zip code to "GETVAX" to find a vaccination location. Booster shots are now available for the immunocompromised and those who meet certain criteria.
In addition to vaccines, testing and mitigation strategies (distance, hygiene, masks) remain important tools to help us combat COVID. In Fairfield, free PCR tests are available on Mill Plain Rd. through Yale New Haven Health. No insurance cards or appointments are necessary, though if you do make an appointment ahead of time, it takes even less time to drive through.

The Governor announced just Tuesday that masks will be required for students in grades K-12 for at least the first month of school. Unvaccinated individuals are also required to wear masks indoors.
A couple of weeks ago I hosted Dr. Sten Vermund, Dean of the Yale School of Public Health, Professor of Pediatrics at the Yale School of Medicine, pediatrician, and infectious disease epidemiologist, for an online Public Health update. As I sometimes say, in COVID times a week or two can be an eternity. However, I do think there is still relevant and helpful information, and invite you to listen to what the Dean had to say.
 
There were some who listened in that day who expressed concern with Dr. Vermund’s remarks, seeking sources for his information, which I am working to provide to them. It is important that as the pandemic continues and we learn more, that we know where and how to find reliable information. I believe Dr. Vermund is both an expert and a reliable source, but he is still one source. It is helpful, particularly in the face of what we have called a novel virus, that we know how to access multiple reliable sources.
Watch Public Health Update
Stopping Misinformation

The U.S. Surgeon General's recently released an Advisory on Building a Healthy Information Environment to address this toxic spread of misinformation. The misinformation being spread about the virus, variant, and vaccine impedes our progress against COVID.
 
“While information has helped people stay safe throughout the pandemic, it has at times led to confusion. For example, scientific knowledge about COVID-19 has evolved rapidly over the past year, sometimes leading to changes in public health recommendations. Updating assessments and recommendations based on new evidence is an essential part of the scientific process, and further changes are to be expected as we continue learning more about COVID-19.2 But without sufficient communication that provides clarity and context, many people have had trouble figuring out what to believe, which sources to trust, and how to keep up with changing knowledge and guidance.” – Confronting Health Misinformation The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on Building a Healthy Information Environment

Click the button to view the full advisory and learn more about how you can stop the spread of misinformation. As our Surgeon General notes, “Limiting the spread of health misinformation is a moral and civic imperative that will require a whole-of-society effort.”
Confronting Health Misinformation
 
Redistricting

In some non-COVID related news, the US Census data was released on August 12th. Fairfield, the 14th most populous community in the state in 2010 grew 4% and moved to #11 with a count of 61,512 residents. These newly released numbers will be used by the state’s bipartisan Reapportionment Committee to draw new legislative districts for our state, assuring that each district has close to an equal number of people.
 
The Connecticut Constitution requires that the committee approve a plan by September 15th and in its absence, which is a forgone conclusion due to the late release of the Census data, another 9 member body, the Reapportionment Commission is appointed and tasked with creating a plan by November 30th. You can learn more about our state’s redistricting process, which determines voting districts for the next 10 years, and redistricting in general at
CT Tax Free Week
 
This week is Tax Free week here in CT. This is a great opportunity to support our many amazing local businesses.

During this one-week sales tax holiday, retail purchases of most clothing and footwear items priced under $100 are exempt from the Connecticut sales and use tax. The exemption during Sales Tax Free Week applies to each eligible item costing under $100, regardless of how many of those items are sold to a customer on the same invoice.


 

Many retailers in Connecticut offer additional clothing and footwear discounts during Sales Tax Free Week, resulting in even more savings for shoppers.

 

Specific information on Connecticut’s Sales Tax Free Week, including a listing of individual items that are exempt or taxable, can be found by visiting the Department of Revenue Services website.
Fairfield Hazardous Materials Drop-Off

On Saturday, August 28th, take advantage of the HazMat drop off from 9am - 2pm at Veteran's Park, 909 Reef Rd. This is a convenient opportunity to bring your hazardous waste to a location right here in Fairfield.

If you miss the 28th, you can still take your hazardous materials to

 HazWaste Central at 90 Sargent Drive in New Haven (exit 46 off I-95 and follow the signs) any Saturday from the mid May to the last Saturday in October from 9am to 12 noon.