Joshua Hall

WEEKLY UPDATE ON CONNECTICUT'S RESPONSE TO COVID-19

*Included in today’s total test and case counts are 141,911 catch-up tests from 6/22/21 to 12/5/21. This includes 6,673 positive test results.

Of the 645 patients currently hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, 502 (77.8%) are not fully vaccinated.

For the week beginning November 28, 2021, unvaccinated persons had a 5x greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19 compared to fully vaccinated persons.

For the week beginning November 28, 2021, unvaccinated persons had a 16x greater risk of dying from COVID-19 compared to fully vaccinated persons.

Data on COVID-19 associated deaths is updated once per week every Thursday. The most recently reported total number of deaths is 8,946.

Click here for all of today's COVID-19 data.

Connecticut’s SNAP-eligible households to receive additional emergency food benefits December 15

The Connecticut Department of Social Services today announced that it will deliver $32.5 million in Emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to more than 213,200 Connecticut households on Wednesday, December 15, 2021. Monthly allocations of emergency SNAP benefits are going to all enrolled households, based on continuance of a declared public health emergency related to COVID-19 in Connecticut.

Authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020, this federal allocation will provide a minimum of $95 in extra food aid to all enrolled families and individuals, raising the state’s total emergency SNAP funding to more than $539.3 million since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Specifically:

• All 213,200 SNAP-eligible households statewide will receive the emergency benefits on their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards on December 15, 2021.
• Households already eligible for the maximum monthly SNAP benefit will receive an extra $95.
• The remaining households that don’t usually qualify for the maximum monthly SNAP benefit because of income or other factors will receive extra benefits of at least $95 but averaging an estimated $154 (depending on their specific benefit situation).
• With this additional $32.5 million allocation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service, emergency benefits are totaling more than $539.3 million in additional SNAP assistance statewide over 19 months, with commensurate spending at supermarkets, groceries, farmers markets, and other food retailers.
• The $95 increase results from President Biden’s January 22, 2021, executive order, which required the USDA to consider new guidance allowing states to increase SNAP emergency benefit allocations for all households, including those previously ineligible to receive it. This increase is expected to be ongoing, contingent on the continuation of the state and federal public health emergencies.
• All households also received their normal SNAP benefits, based on the new Thrifty Food Plan amounts, on one of the first three days of the month as they normally do, according to last name.
• If a household is granted regular SNAP benefits on or after Monday December 13, the additional SNAP benefits will be added to the EBT card on a Friday, depending on the date of granting.

For additional information about SNAP, visit www.ct.gov/snap.

Providing information to Connecticut residents

For the most up-to-date information from the State of Connecticut on COVID-19, residents are encouraged to visit ct.gov/coronavirus. Residents can also subscribe to text message alerts from the state by texting the keyword COVIDCT to 888-777.

Individuals who have general questions that are not answered on the website can call 2-1-1 for assistance. The hotline is available 24 hours a day and has multilingual assistance. Anyone who is out-of-state or requires a toll-free number can connect to Connecticut 2-1-1 by dialing 1-800-203-1234. This is intended to be used by individuals who are not experiencing symptoms but may have general questions related to COVID-19. Anyone who is experiencing symptoms is strongly urged to contact their medical provider.