State Capitol Update for the Week of May 3
May 7, 2021Session days are multiplying, and we had another productive day yesterday, including a resounding vote in favor of establishing early voting in Connecticut. With strong bipartisan support, the House voted in favor of House Joint Resolution (HJR) 59, a resolution proposing a constitutional amendment to allow for in-person early voting. Connecticut is currently only one of six states that do not allow for some form of early voting.
This measure passed in 2019, so if the resolution also passes in the Senate, it will appear as a constitutional question on the 2022 general election ballot. This means that you, along with all other eligible voters in Connecticut, would have the final say in whether our state becomes the 45th state to allow early voting.
Another, related, constitutional amendment under consideration is HJR 58, which would expand access to absentee ballots: we hope to vote on that next week.
I want to extend warm wishes for a Happy Mother’s Day weekend to all of you. I hope you get to give your mother, or anyone who has provided you with loving care, a (safe, vaccinated) hug this weekend. We’ve all missed hugs, and having just recently enjoyed a couple of hugs outside of my immediate family, I’m very glad to see their gradual return.
Here’s a list of today’s topics:
- Data Updates on Variants. Click here.
- Weekly Nursing Home Update. Click here.
- COVID Alert Map. Click here.
- Thursday's House Session. Click here.
- Say Yes to Connecticut. Click here.
- Connecticut is a Leading State in Children's Health. Click here.
- National Nurse's Week. Click here.
- Data on rare COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases released. 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.”
Data updates on variants in Connecticut
The following data contains the cumulative number of SARS-CoV-2 variants that have been identified among Connecticut residents as of today:
Variants of concern
- B.1.1.7 (first detected in the United Kingdom): 1,849 cases
- B.1.351 (first detected in South Africa): 23 cases
- P.1 (first detected in Brazil): 40 cases
- B.1.427 (first detected in California): 62 cases
- B.1.429 (first detected in California): 130 cases
For more information on variants, see page 7 of this week’s extended COVID-19 data report.
Weekly update on the impact of COVID-19 on nursing homes and assisted living facilities
The following documents contain the weekly data regarding each of the nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Connecticut that have reported positive cases of COVID-19 among their residents. The data is presented as it was reported to the state by each of the facilities.
| **Download: Report from May 6, 2021 on COVID-19 in Connecticut nursing homes **Download: Report from May 6, 2021 on COVID-19 in Connecticut assisted living facilities |
Weekly update of the Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 Alert Map: 55 of 169 municipalities in red zone alert level
The Connecticut Department of Public Health today released its weekly COVID-19 Alert Map, which indicates that 55 of 169 towns and cities in Connecticut are currently in the red zone alert level, the highest of the state’s four alert levels. 11 of the 29 towns in the gray, or lowest, alert level, are in the Northwest Corner.
The COVID-19 Alert Map is updated every Thursday afternoon and can be found within the Data Tracker page of the state’s coronavirus website at ct.gov/coronavirus.
House Session on Thursday, May 6
In addition to HJR 59, the resolution on early voting described above, we passed a number of other bills during session on Thursday. Here’s a selection of a few of them.
Living Organ Donors
Living organ donors offer the gift of life to those waiting on the transplant list, but often face increased insurance premiums or denial of coverage following the donation. With so many waiting for a transplant, we must work to increase the amount of living organ donors. Many of my colleagues shared personal stories about the life-saving importance of organ donation, and it was an emotionally powerful moment to pass this important bill, HB 6387, which prohibits insurers from discriminating against living organ donors.
Food Insecurity Among College Students
Too many of our low-income college students are facing food insecurity, negatively impacting their ability to thrive and succeed in the classroom. HB 6229 implements best practices to address the severe need and increase access to ensure our students have the basics needed to achieve success.
Protections for veterans discharged for sexual orientation
HB 5592 ensures LGBTQ+ veterans with less-than-honorable discharge status solely due to their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression receive the benefits they are completely entitled to. No member of our military should face unnecessary barriers to obtaining the benefits they've earned serving our country.
Preventing malnutrition among seniors
Meals on Wheels is an essential resource – especially during the ongoing pandemic. With the passage of HB 6519, the House just took steps to collect data on the program's critical role in our communities and better inform ways to increase equitable access and funding.
Breastfeeding in the workplace
Returning to the workplace following the birth of new child is no easy transition. HB 5158 makes modernizations to the current law to remove barriers and support the needs of breastfeeding, working moms.
Say Yes to Connecticut tourism campaign
The Connecticut Office of Tourism is launching a new summer marketing campaign to promote safe travel and fuel the Connecticut tourism industry’s recovery following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. After a year of saying “no” to so many things due to the pandemic, the State of Connecticut is encouraging resident and visitors to “Say Yes to Connecticut” and all of its unique experiences this summer.
The campaign theme, “Say Yes to Connecticut,” was born out of the Office of Tourism’s proprietary research that shows a growing sense of optimism among Northeast consumers amid the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and pent-up demand for travel, especially regional travel.
Running May 1 through September 6, the campaign will feature hundreds of businesses and activities across the state that make up Connecticut’s tourism industry sector, including hotels, inns and B&Bs, restaurants, attractions, museums, historical sites, arts and cultural venues, farms, wineries and breweries, state parks and beaches, nature centers, outdoor recreation, shopping destinations, events, and more. Mask wearing indoors will continue to be required.
For information on the numerous attractions Connecticut has to offer, visit www.CTvisit.com.
Connecticut is a leading state in children’s health
In a new analysis of data ranking the states in children’s health, Connecticut had a number of bright spots, ranking 3rd in the highest percentage of children with excellent or very good health, 3rd in the highest percentage of children with recent medical and dental checkups, and 3rd in the highest percentage of children with excellent or very good teeth.
Overall, Connecticut ranked 13th among the states in a ranking of the Best States for Children’s Health. The leading states were District of Columbia, Hawaii, Vermont, Washington, Maryland, Oregon, Rhode Island, Colorado, New York and Massachusetts.
Connecticut ranked 9th in the share of uninsured children age 0-18, and 10th in the share of children 19 to 35 months old with all recommended vaccines. The state also ranked 11th in healthy-food access and 11th in sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among children age 14-18, and 27th in the number of fast-food restaurants per capita.
On the other end of the spectrum, Connecticut ranked 34th in the cost of a doctors’ visit, 41st in the out-of-pocket cost for children’s health care, and 29th in the number of pediatricians and family doctors per capita, so there is much work to do.
For more details, click here.
National Nurses Week
My Aunt Peggy was a nurse who exuded warmth, competence, and a wicked sense of humor. In both of my parents’ final years, nurses helped me care for them, providing dignity, compassion, and quality healthcare through the most difficult and painful moments, enriching their lives and my own. Over the past year, nurses have gone through the unimaginable. They have fought for us, cared for us and our loved ones, been a hand to hold, and even said goodbye for us. They are heroes today and every day. Please join me in thanking the nurses in our community.
Data on rare COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases released
As Connecticut surpasses the 50% mark for Connecticut residents ages 16 and over who are now fully vaccinated, the Department of Public Health today released data on vaccine breakthrough cases, which clearly show that the COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective at fighting the virus.
So-called “vaccine breakthrough cases” occur when a person who has completed their vaccine series becomes infected with the COVID virus. The data show that cases of COVID-19 in fully vaccinated individuals are rare, with less than 0.1 percent of Connecticut’s fully vaccinated persons reported to DPH as having contracted the virus.
Of the 1,467,189 persons who have completed their vaccine series, 242 have been confirmed as contracting COVID-19. Of those, 109 (45%) had no symptoms of the disease.
Three deaths have occurred among the 242 vaccine breakthrough cases. All three individuals were confirmed to have had underlying medical conditions and were in the following age groups: 55-64 (1), 65-74 (1), and 75+ (1). Nationally, the CDC has reported a total of 132 vaccine breakthrough deaths.
In addition to the overall number of breakthrough cases, DPH also announced that of the 242 breakthrough cases:
- 159 (65.7%) cases were among women
- 58 (24%) cases occurred among persons living in congregate settings (i.e. – nursing homes, assisted living facilities)
- 32 (13.2%) cases have been hospitalized
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.