COVID Update 2.10

February 10, 2021

Dear Neighbor,

Today the Governor gave his much-anticipated budget address, and as I write this the legislative proposals that underpin it are being released, and we are all busily digesting them.  I will provide more details once I’ve had a chance to dig into the details, but the highlights include a reliance on federal funding, and, if necessary, the Budget Reserve Fund (otherwise known as the “Rainy Day Fund”) to balance the budget without sweeping changes to income or sales tax.  It’s important to note that, even if the state must rely entirely on the Budget Reserve Fund, that balance will still be a healthy 13% of the overall state budget. 
New revenue is projected from the proposed legalization of sports betting online gaming, and iLottery, as well as recreational marijuana.
New initiatives that are funded include, among others: 

  • additional staffing for the broadband initiative,
  • debt-free community college,
  •  hiring and training of additional state troopers, and
  • a ban on flavored vape products

 There is a lot to work on here, and I look forward to plenty of reading over the next week.

Today's Topics:

  • Vaccine Administration Update. Click here.
  • Governor Lamont signs an Executive Order. Click here.
  • New Business Tools Now Available. Click here.
  • Vaccine Appointment Assist Line Expanding. Click here
  • Vaccine data by race and ethnicity. Click here

For several additional graphs and tables containing more data, including a list of cases in every municipality, visit ct.gov/coronavirus and click the link that is labeled, “Data Tracker.”
 

Specific Updates for Our Community

 

Town Total Cases Total Deaths Number of Tests Number of Positive Tests
Canaan 7 0 646 8
Cornwall 39 0 1,707 46
Goshen 116 1 3,735     139
Kent 114 0 5,815 127
Norfolk 59 0 1,773     67
North Canaan 177 8 7,396     194
Salisbury 107     0 8,430     128
Sharon 83 1 3,900 117
Torrington 2,621 125 68,632 3,192
 

 

AnchorData updates on vaccine administration in Connecticut
 
The following data represents the total number of COVID-19 vaccinations administered in Connecticut, as reported to the state as of today:
 

  • First doses administered: 387,174
  • Second doses administered: 129,907
  • Total doses administered: 517,081

 
So far, the state has vaccinated 56 percent of its population over the age of 75. Connecticut remains in the top four states in the nation for vaccine distribution.
 
Connecticut is currently in phase 1b of its COVID-19 vaccination program. Right now under this phase, individuals over the age of 75 can receive the vaccine. Beginning Thursday, February 11, this phase will expand to include individuals between the ages of 65 and 74. Soon, the phase will become open to include individuals between the ages of 16 and 64 who have underlying health conditions, and frontline essential workers.
 
Information on Connecticut’s COVID-19 vaccination program is available at ct.gov/covidvaccine.
 
AnchorGovernor Lamont signs Executive Order No. 10A enacting the following provisions:
 

  • Extension of COVID-19 executive orders: Extends the duration of nearly all the COVID-19 executive orders that are currently in effect through April 19, 2021. Certain orders related to immunity from liability for healthcare facilities and suspension of certain operations of the Judicial Branch will remain in effect until March 1, 2021.

AnchorGovernor Lamont Announces New Business Tools Now Available 

Governor Ned Lamont today announced that the State of Connecticut’s online business portal – business.ct.gov – continues to add more features that will make it easier for entrepreneurs to find information and services that aid in the process of starting or managing their businesses in Connecticut. Using feedback gathered from entrepreneurs, the state has continued to customize this one-stop-shop experience for users.
 
Some of the newly added features during this most recent update include:

  • Resource Center: Users can now access a customizable resource center that centralizes 170 different programs for businesses. These resources pull from multiple sectors and disciplines, providing financial, technical, and equity-based support programs for business owners in any stage of their business lifecycle. Users can receive personalized recommendations for resources based on their business and then save them all into a powerful, tailored collection that stays inside their account.
  • Business Dashboard: When users log in, they will see a new dynamic, content-rich dashboard that will cut down on the time needed to find crucial business information, link companies to state compliance needs, and equip business owners with vital, time-sensitive alerts that can impact their business.
  • Connecticut COVID-19 Content: Users will be able to find the latest updates on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic right from the dashboard. This includes point-of-time data with direct access points for deeper exploration of vaccination numbers, positive cases, business and employer resources, and official state guidance.

Connecticut’s online business portal – business.ct.gov – launched in the summer of 2020 with the goal of providing the state’s entrepreneurs with a one-stop-shop to easily find information and quickly create a checklist with everything required to start up or manage a business in the state.

AnchorVaccine Appointment Assist Line Expanding

In partnership with the state Department of Public Health (DPH), the United Way of Connecticut has announced plans to immediately expand availability and access to vaccine scheduling through the state’s Vaccine Appointment Assist Line. The Appointment Assist Line is expanding to 12 hours a day - 7 days a week. There will be 125 appointment specialists on duty and 10,000 appointments per week available.

Starting TODAY, 125 trained contact specialists will be available to take phone calls to schedule vaccine appointments from 8a.m. to 8p.m., seven days a week. Contact specialists will have the capability of booking up to 10,000 appointments at twelve locations across the state. This added capacity comes just in time as Connecticut begins to receive larger supplies of vaccination doses on a weekly basis for the expansion of Phase 1b eligibility. As of today, individuals between the ages of 65-74 are now eligible to schedule appointments for their COVID vaccine.

Key points on the expansion of the Vaccine Appointment Assist Line:

  • Scheduling available seven days per week
  • Scheduling occurs between 8a.m. - 8p.m. each day
  • Minimal wait times
  • Appointments being booked at multiple locations across the state
  • Up to 10,000 appointments per week
  • 125 contact specialists trained and answering appointment calls

The phone number to call for vaccination scheduling is: 877-918-2224.

As Connecticut’s vaccination program continues, it is important for all residents to schedule appointments according to the state’s priority vaccination program. Currently, the state is focused on vaccinating those residents who are 75 years of age or older. It is expected the priority groups will expand during the month of February as more vaccine doses become available. The best place to access information on vaccine priority scheduling is via CT's Vaccine Portal.

The United Way reiterates that language assistance is available for those who need it and those who are deaf or hard-of- hearing can access the Vaccine Appointment Assist Line by dialing 7-1-1.

AnchorData on COVID-19 vaccine administration by race and ethnicity released
 
The Connecticut Department of Public Health today released data showing how vaccines in Connecticut have been administered throughout the state across race and ethnicity as of February 3. The data, while limited, mirrors what states across the country have seen: that disparities exist in vaccine administration across racial lines, with Black populations lagging behind White and Hispanic populations.
 
The department cautioned that the data should be interpreted with several caveats:
 

  • While reporting of race/ethnicity is required for all vaccine providers, there are some gaps, which is the case across all vaccines and not unique to COVID-19 vaccines
  • Providers and individuals have the option of selecting “other,” “multiple races,” or “not reported,” which makes analysis and comparisons across races difficult
  • Providers use multiple means to report data to the state, which then must be aggregated and analyzed, which can lead to missing or under-reported data

 
The department also noted that data quality issues are not unique to Connecticut and are being seen across the country. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted that 50 percent of the data reported by vaccine providers across the country did not contain race/ethnicity data.
 
Despite these limitations, Acting Public Health Commissioner Dr. Deidre Gifford noted that the data does suggest that disparities exist in the administration of vaccines to historically underserved communities, particularly Black populations.
 
 
Due to a constrained supply that limits the number of vaccines administered weekly, combined with the relatively unreliable nature of the race/ethnicity data, the Department of Public Health does not have plans at this time for a regular release of this data. In the coming weeks, as the number of individuals receiving their first dose of the vaccine becomes more robust and data reporting more reliable, the department will announce a regular schedule for the release of the race/ethnicity data.
 

**DownloadData on first dose of COVID-19 vaccine by race and ethnicity as of February 3, 2021

 

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 are strongly urged to contact their medical provider.