Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont on Thursday unveiled the state’s planned distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine, which includes an initial focus on frontline health care workers and nursing home residents.
The goal is to have everyone in the state who wants a dose to be vaccinated by early fall of 2021.
While the state’s final detailed plan was not yet ready to be released, Lamont said the first phase of distribution will include 204,000 health care workers, 22,000 nursing home residents and 6,000 medical first responders, such as paramedics and EMTs. Lamont said those figures represent 80% of people in those groups agreeing to take a vaccine.
The Democratic governor said his state advisory group followed federal guidance, which he called “very sensible.” Lamont said it makes sense, for example, to vaccinate residents of nursing homes early in the process, noting how the population has been hit hard by COVID-19.
“Number one, these are the folks most likely to suffer complications. These are the older folks who most likely suffer fatalities. And these are the folks most likely to go into the hospital,” he said during a briefing for reporters. “So not only will we hopefully be saving lives, we’re hopefully keeping these folks out of the hospital, which again, adds to our capacity in the hospitals.”
Connecticut tentatively expects to receive its first shipment of 31,000 doses of vaccine from Pfizer on Dec. 14 and its first shipment of 61,000 doses from Moderna on Dec. 21. He provided a chart that projected Connecticut receiving up to 380,000 doses of the two vaccines in batches by Jan. 25. Dr. Reggy Eadie, chief executive officer at Trinity Health of New England and the co-chairman of Lamont’s advisory group, said health care workers in key specialties, such as emergency room staff, would be prioritized.
About 31,000 second doses are expected to be shipped to Connecticut on Jan. 4, with 212,000 delivered by Jan. 25, according to the Lamont administration.
Under the state’s preliminary distribution plan, Phase 1B will run from mid-January to late May. That’s when “critical” workers, people living in other congregate settings such as prisons and group homes, adults 65 years and older and people under 65 who are considered “high risk” for getting infected, would be vaccinated. Under Phase 2, which is expected to begin in early June, those under age 18 and remaining residents over 18 would receive the vaccine.
As of Thursday, 1,191 people were hospitalized for COVID-19 in Connecticut, a slight decrease of 11 since Wednesday. Meanwhile, there have been 5,111 COVID-related deaths, an increase of 20 since Wednesday.
In other coronavirus-related news in Connecticut:
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NATIONAL GUARD
The state has received approval to continue using the National Guard to support COVID-19 mitigation efforts through March.
The governor’s office says federal officials have agreed to pay 75% of the cost of using the guard, which has been assisting the state with tasks such as setting up mobile field hospitals, distributing personal protective equipment, inspecting nursing homes and staffing coronavirus testing sites.
The federal government paid 100% of the National Guard’s costs from April 2 through Sept. 30. That authorization was renewed in October at a reduced cost share of 75% and had been set to expire on Dec. 31.
RESTAURANT WOES
More than 100 members of the Connecticut Restaurant Association were on a call Thursday with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, informing the Democrat from Connecticut they desperately need financial help now. Scott Dolch, the group’s executive director, said more than 600 restaurants have already closed and there’s a potential for thousands to shutter without more state and federal assistance.
Dolch urged Blumenthal to contact Lamont and ask him to dedicate more of the state’s share of federal coronavirus relief funds to struggling restaurants. The state last week began sending out the first round of federally funded $5,000 grants to about 10,000 small businesses, but he said more money is needed to help these businesses until more federal assistance becomes available.
“This has been the most difficult time (that) our industry right now has faced since this pandemic started,” said Dolch, who said it’s “extremely scary” for restaurant owners and their workers. “They don’t know what tomorrow brings for their industry.”
Lamont insisted that another round of federal funding for small businesses is “absolutely vital” and the state can only provide a financial bridge.
“We can provide some support but this is a federal responsibility. They’ve been derelict there,” he said.
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PRISON INFECTIONS
Nearly two dozen inmates at Connecticut’s only women’s prison recently tested positive for the coronavirus, prompting a partial lockdown, Department of Correction officials said.
There were 14 infected inmates with symptoms at York Correctional Institution in East Lyme and another nine inmates who tested positive but had no symptoms as of Wednesday evening, department spokeswoman Karen Martucci said. All of them were in medical isolation, she said.
The partial lockdown at York, which houses nearly 500 inmates, includes restrictions on prisoners’ movements and a temporary suspension of in-person, non-contact social visits. Martucci said inmates are still able to use the phone and take showers every day, and free video conferencing has been made available. The facility was undergoing a deep cleaning, officials said.
Statewide, more than 290 inmates and nearly 140 employees currently have COVID-19. Since the pandemic began, nearly 1,750 state inmates have tested positive for the virus and eight have died, according to the latest Correction Department data. More than 9,200 inmates are detained in state prisons.
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