Maria Horn

Although the road ahead still aims out of the pandemic in CT, it did get a little bumpy this week with today’s announcement that the CDC was recommending a pause on administering the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine. 

The J&J vaccine, because it requires only a single shot, was the vaccine that the FEMA mobile clinics were planning to use, but those plans are changing.  The mobile unit is still scheduled to arrive in North Canaan tomorrow and Winsted on Thursday, but has switched to using the Pfizer vaccine.  The Department of Public Health has said they will reach out to those scheduled, and is working on scheduling second appointments that will now be necessary. (See more information below.)  

Here’s a list of today’s topics:

• Johnson and Johnson Update. Click here.
• New Milford Vaccine Clinic is Looking for Volunteers. Click here. 
• Assistance for Utility, Energy Bills Through Operation Fuel. Click here. 
• Funeral Assistance Through FEMA. Click here. 
• State Funding for Affordable Housing Announced. Click here.
• Guide to Pursuing a Career in the Skilled Trades. Click here. 
• CDC's V-Safe App Tracks Vaccine Symptoms. 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	11	0	785	16
Cornwall	47	0	2,095	55
Goshen	139	1	4,928	170
Kent	157	0	10,796	189
Norfolk	63	0	2,199	73
North Canaan	196	8	9,784	221
Salisbury	139	0	11,242	165
Sharon	107	1	5,168	145
Torrington	3,292	135	86,406	4,021

 CDC recommends pause on the use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine

Early this morning, the U.S. FDA and CDC issued a joint statement recommending a pause on the use of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine following six reported US cases of a rare blood clotting event. Although these events are rare, and none have occurred in Connecticut, the Connecticut Department of Public Health recommended that COVID vaccine providers pause on administration of J&J vaccine for the time being while the FDA and CDC complete their review.

 
Of 6.8 million individuals who have received the J&J vaccine nationally, six individuals have developed a rare and severe type of blood clot called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) within two weeks of receiving their vaccine. All six cases occurred among women between age 18–48 years. Roughly 100,000 Connecticut residents have received the J&J vaccine with no reported serious adverse events. 

The FEMA mobile vaccine clinics scheduled for April 14 in North Canaan and April 15 in Winsted are still scheduled to go forward, but will switch to the Pfizer vaccine.  They are working on how to schedule the 2^nd dose appointments that will now be necessary.  Anyone who has made an appointment should receive an email.     

Information about how to cancel or reschedule appointments using VAMS be found on the DPH website at https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Immunizations/VAMS-Training.

Although these side effects are extremely rare, the FDA and CDC recommend that people who have received the J&J vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider. 

New Milford vaccine clinic is looking for volunteers 
 
Last Saturday, the vaccine clinic in New Milford administered over 1,100 vaccine doses, almost exclusively to Litchfield County residents.  In order to keep up that pace, they’re looking for volunteers of all kinds, both vaccinators (see below for more information on that), and non-medical jobs such as greeting people, checking them in, and monitoring the lines.  If you’re looking for a way to help your neighbors, please consider reaching out to volunteer!

• Non-medical volunteers should reach out to: nmvolunteers@newmilford.org
• Clinical volunteers should reach out to: clinicalvolunteers@newmilford.org

Please find the requirements for vaccinators in this link from CTDPH, and see the dates for upcoming clinics in New Milford below.

Funeral Assistance Through FEMA
Over the past year, many families across our state and country have suffered the pain of losing a loved one due to COVID-19. In addition to dealing with their tragic loss, families were suddenly saddled with the high cost of funeral expenses. In order to ease this financial burden incurred by loved ones left behind, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently announced it will be providing financial assistance for COVID-19 related funeral expenses incurred after January 20, 2020.

Before applying, make sure to gather the following information and documentation:

• Your name, social security number, date of birth, mailing address and contact phone numbers.
• The name, social security number and date of birth for each deceased individual.
• If applicable, the name, social security number and date of birth for any other person who incurred funeral expenses for the same deceased individual(s)
• The location or address where the deceased individual passed away.
• Documentation and receipts for any assistance already received from other sources, including burial or funeral insurance, donations, voluntary agencies, other government programs or non-profit organizations.

To begin the application process, please call FEMA’s COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Helpline at 1-844-684-6333 (TTY: 800-462-7585) from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Once you’ve submitted an application, you can submit your documentation online through disasterassistance.gov, by fax (855-261-3452), or by mail (COVID-19 Funeral Assistance, P.O. Box 10001 Hyattsville, MD 20782).

For more information on this assistance, visit fema.gov/funeral-assistance/faq.

 

$49 Million in state funding to build affordable housing announced
 
More than $49 million in state funding that will support the development of hundreds of units of affordable housing in towns throughout Connecticut is anticipated to be approved when the State Bond Commission meets later this week.
 
Among the projects receiving funding is Sarum Village Phase III in Salisbury, projected to receive $1.5 million.
  
The State Bond Commission will vote on the allocation during its meeting that will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, April 16. The meeting will be held virtually and will stream live online via the Connecticut Network (CT-N) at ct-n.com.
 
Guide to pursuing a career in the skilled trades
 
The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) has published a step-by-step informational guide to pursuing a career in the skilled trades that aims to promote a more diverse workforce, and support women and historically disadvantaged groups in finding stable employment and higher wages as Connecticut recovers from the economic downturn of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
The interactive guide, available in seven languages, was written and produced by DCP, with assistance from the Connecticut Department of Labor, the State Department of Education, and current and former tradespeople.
 
It was originally created as part of DCP’s contribution to the work of the Governor’s Council on Women and Girls, under the leadership of Lt. Governor Bysiewicz, and with the intent to include information and resources for people of all gender identities and historically disadvantaged backgrounds.
 
The guide, Careers in the Trades, is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Korean, Chinese, and Polish.
 
 
CDC’s V-Safe App tracks vaccine symptoms
 
The V-Safe App lets you use you can use your smartphone to tell the CDC about any side effects after getting the COVID-19 vaccine. You’ll also get reminders if you need a second vaccine dose. 

You can learn more about the v-safe app here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/vsafe.html
 
 
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.