One year after the start of the Corona Virus, and one day after taking office, President Biden orders workplace protection for the safety of those who keep us safe.
Thank you sir, thank you to all who have advocated for this, and thank you to all our essential workers.
Today we passed a dark landmark in the U.S. We have now lost over 400,000 Americans to Covid 19.
01/19/2021
Focus Remains on Appointments for Individuals Older Than 75; Individuals 65+ Will Be Next, Followed by Individuals With a High-Risk Condition and Frontline Essential Workers; Vaccine Clinics in Congregate Settings Will Occur Throughout
(HARTFORD, CT) – With nearly 1.4 million individuals included in Phase 1b of Connecticut’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout and the state anticipating to receive about 45,000 doses of vaccine per week from the federal government, Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he is directing the Connecticut Department of Public Health to proceed through the remaining groups in the phase with a tiered approach based on risk of adverse health outcomes from the virus. The governor is directing the implementation be done in an equitable way, with vaccine distribution points focused in areas where residents and communities have barriers to access and care.
The tiered approach to Phase 1b will proceed as follows:
The roll-out of the vaccine to staff and residents of congregate living settings will be phased in throughout Phase 1b.
More information about the definitions of frontline essential workers and the list of eligible underlying medical conditions will be made available in the next several weeks.
“We are working to administer the vaccine to as many people as possible, but the greatest barrier continues to be our supply as we are only scheduled to receive about 45,000 doses of the vaccine per week, while 1.4 million people are eligible under phase 1b,” Governor Lamont said. “That is why we are working to roll this out in a way that gets the vaccine to the people who are at greatest risk first. The good news is that we are seeing an overwhelming number of people in our state who want to receive the vaccine – and that is a key component of keeping our residents safe from COVID-19. In the meantime, our administration will continue doing everything we can to get more doses of the vaccine into Connecticut as quickly as possible.”
“We have begun in earnest vaccinations of our 75 and older population,” Acting Public Health Commissioner Dr. Deidre Gifford said. “We have dozens of large vaccination clinics up and running throughout the state with more coming online soon. In order to vaccinate our 75 plus residents as quickly as possible so that we can move on to the other groups within 1b, it is critical that we focus on getting shots in the arms of those elderly and most vulnerable residents. We continue to ask for everyone’s patience as we proceed through Phase 1b and on to subsequent phases. As you patiently wait your turn for vaccination, please remember to continue wearing masks, social distancing, practicing good hand hygiene and gathering only with the members of your own household.”
Also today, the Department of Public Health sent a communication to all school districts, local health departments, and vaccine providers requesting that anyone who has an appointment for Friday of this weekor later cancel these appointments unless they are over the age of 75 or if they were eligible to receive vaccine as part of Phase 1a. Similarly, vaccine providers with clinics scheduled past this Thursday that are not devoted to individuals 75 and over or eligible in Phase 1a are being asked to cancel those clinics. This is being done in order to ensure that Connecticut’s focus on individuals over the age of 75 is maintained.
As of Sunday, January 17, approximately 221,000 doses of vaccine have been administered in Connecticut since the vaccine program’s inception, including 196,000 first doses. Connecticut has administered 71 percent of the total doses it has received from the federal government, including 92 percent of doses allocated for all healthcare organizations and local health departments, placing the state in the top five of states for administering the COVID-19 vaccine.
For the most up-to-date information on COVID-19 vaccination distribution plans in Connecticut, visit ct.gov/covidvaccine.
The AP reported this week that for the first time, over 4,000 Americans died from the Corona Virus in a single day.
Think about that.
This news was overshadowed by the insurrection at our national’s capital, but we must also remember that nearly 2 million people have died from Corona, 373,000 in our country.
We need to also remember that Southern California hospitals are so overrun with patients that ambulances are waiting 17 hours to offload.
Closer to home, our healthcare “Heroes” are so worn out from working 12-16 hour shifts, from dealing with patients who require an immense amount of work, and from the toll that daily deaths bring to a workforce that by nature is empathetic, that they are suffering physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and becoming sick and even leaving their professions, their advocations.
As a nation, we need to do better.
We must do better.
We have seen what failure looks like.
Failure to plan for a pandemic.
Failure to accept the results of an election.
Failure to work together for our common good.
We have also seen what true activism, patriotism, and human caring looks like.
When Stacy Abrams lost her election in a questionable Georgia election, she mobilized Georgians to register and vote in unprecedented numbers and has changed the course of Georgia and the country.
She did it not because it was the best course of action for her.
She did it because it was the best for all of us.
Let her example be our guide.
Please be well.
Please wear your masks.
