Corona Virus Update 3/10/21

Connecticut’s hospitalizations dropped to below 400 the other day and our % positive remains low, between 1-2%.  We have vaccinated about 30% of Connecticut adults with at least their first dose. The Northeast District Department of Health now has 2 teams of Medical Reserve Corps volunteers and we are vaccinating at our standing clinic in Brooklyn as well as in area schools.   

Key messages & updates from the state, 3/8/21

• As of Sunday night, 1,162,682 doses of vaccine had been administered, including

773,280 first doses. (142,067 in the past 7 days)

• 75% of individuals 75+, more than 60% of individuals 65-74, and almost one quarter of individuals between 55-64 have received at least one dose of vaccine.

• CT has three effective vaccines available. DPH does not recommend shopping around foravaccinebrand,whichcouldcausedelaysingettingvaccinated. Thebestshotfor people to get is the one that is available to them.

• CT received a total of ~30,000 doses of J&J vaccine last week. It was distributed across the state and across various vaccine providers and was put into use at clinics across the state last week and over the weekend.

• All three vaccines are highly effective in preventing serious illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID. The vaccines also have comparable safety profiles.

• The J&J vaccine has the added benefit in that it is a single shot.

• Side effects from the J&J vaccine are similar to those reported for the Pfizer and Modernavaccines: painatinjectionsite,fever,headache,muscleaches,nausea, fatigue.

• While not experienced by everyone, side effects for all three vaccines are a normal sign

that the body is building protections against the COVID-19 virus

• It remains important for everyone, even those who are fully vaccinated, to continue to

wear masks, social distance, practice good hand hygiene, stay home when sick, and get tested if you have symptoms of COVID-19.

Corona Virus update 3/3/21

Our numbers continue to look good, positive test rates between 2-3%. Hospitalizations down to 413 yesterday. Our school staff started getting vaccinated this week.  

Yesterday morning we (Northeast District Department of Health Connecticut Medical Response Team) vaccinated staff at the Sterling Community School 

Glad to see our dedicated educators getting protected, and nice to start in my home town. 

Corona Virus Update, 2/21/21

 Our Covid hospitalizations in CT dropped to 535 this week and our % positive cases was between 2-3%. Almost all our nursing home residents have been vaccinated, and about 65% of our 75+ state residents and we’ve move on to our 65-75 year olds. Over 500,000 CT residents (14%) have received at least their first dose and we’re vacinating over 81,000 new people a week.

We have about 3.5 total CT residents. 

The small clinic I volunteer at, Northeast District Department of Health, has vaccinated over 3,000 and I’m proud to be part of the 11,000 volunteers working across the state, the result of a call from Office of Governor Ned Lamont

The limiting factor is the supply of vacinations and we are hopeful that this supply will increase soon.

Our the darker side, we have now lost over 7500 CT residents to Covid-19.

My reaction to the first dose, about 10 days ago, was a sore arm for about 2 days.

This past week, UHP University Health Professionals Local 3837 Bill Garrity and I testified for a bill in the CT legislature that would extend treatment for emotional and mental injury to all workers under Worker’s Compensation. Covid has made clear the need for this.

This week, we will be supporting legislation that would presume that if a CT essential worker contracted Covid, that it happened at work. At the present time, the burden fo proof lies with the healthcare or other essential worker, in order to be elligible for Worker’s Compensation. With this legislation, a hospital or other business could still challenge the case, but care would not be delayed.

Also this week, or soon afterwards, we expect U.S. Representative Joe Courtney for Congress to reintroduce legislation calling for an OSHA Standard for Workplace Violence against Healthcare Workers and Social Workers. A similar bill passed the House with bipartisan support but died in the Senate. Our hope is that with a new Senate, this needed legislation could become law. Congressman Courtney has worked diligently on this for several years with the support of Labor, including AFT Connecticut , AFT Nurses & Health Professionals  and Connecticut AFL-CIO

Corona Virus update 2/10/21

The Positive test rate in Connecticut today is 3.1% and hospitalizations are down to 770, the same number they were at on November 17. 

Today I received my first dose of the Modera Vaccine at the clinic where I will be a volunteer vaccinator 

 

Corona Virus Update 2/2/21

Hospitalizations in Connecticut are down to 900 statewide today. They maxed out at 1,970 last spring, dropped to under 100 in the summer, and increased to around 1,200 early this winter. 

Our healthcare professionals are mostly vaccinated at this point as are nursing home residents. 

We are hovering around 3.5 to 4.5% positive cases, which is down from a few weeks ago. 

After 85+ year olds are vaccinated, we will move on to 65-85 year olds, then essential workers. 

Whether essential workers are further tiered out has not yet been determined. Our school staff members are considered essential workers. 

We expect our supply of doses to increase by about 16%.  

Key messages & updates from the State of Connecticut

• As of Sunday night, 425,144 doses of vaccine had been administered, including

338,859 first doses. Of the total doses administered, 337,092 doses have been administered at hospitals, clinics, or local health departments and 88,052 doses have

been administered to nursing home staff and residents.

• 45% of our 75 and over population have received their first vaccine dose

• More than 86,000 Connecticut residents are fully vaccinated, having received both

doses of the vaccination

• Nearly all 2nd dose clinics at the state’s nursing homes should be complete by the end of this week.

• Our priority and the priority of all of our vaccinators should remain focused on ensuring that our residents who are at highest risk from severe disease and death from COVID-19 are receiving the vaccine now. All vaccinators should be scheduling and administering vaccine only to the 75+ population and Phase 1a individuals until further notice.

• Our other priority is to ensure that 75+ residents from communities of color, who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, are vaccinated. Starting this week, DPH will be redirecting some of the state’s allocation to locations with large populations of Black and Latino residents in order to address equity issues.

• Anyone who has received a first dose of the vaccine should schedule and receive the second dose – this includes all individuals who were not eligible as either 75+ or Phase 1a but received the first dose.

• Updates have been made to the VAMS system to help providers schedule second shot appointments at the time of the first shot appointment. Additionally, providers can now run reports in VAMS to conduct outreach to proactively schedule second doses for individuals who received their first shot but do not yet have a second appointment scheduled.

• Until directed by the State or your employer, you are not currently permitted to schedule a vaccine appointment, even if you are eligible within Phase 1b.

• Patience remains the keyword: With 1.3 million CT residents in Phase 1b and a limited supply of vaccine from the federal government, it will take time to vaccinate everyone eligible in this phase.

• Continue to mask, social distance, practice good hand hygiene, and limit gatherings to the individuals in your own household. With variants of COVID circulating in the US and the UK variant detected in CT, it is imperative that residents continue to follow these basic public health guidelines and to:

• Get tested if you feel sick or have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 and self-quarantine if you are positive.