Creative Commons License

In this file photo, Gov. Ned Lamont gets his temperature checked at The Reservoir nursing home in West Hartford before watching staff and residents get vaccinated against COVID-19. Credit: AP Photo

Gov. Ned Lamont has tested positive for COVID-19, his staff said Thursday.

The positive result came during a regularly scheduled rapid self-test. A second rapid self-test also was positive. He is awaiting the results of a PCR test.

“Our office has also conducted contact tracing to identify and inform close contacts,” said Max Reiss, the governor’s spokesman. “He is feeling good and not experiencing any symptoms, and he is grateful that he is receiving protection from the second booster shot he received last week.”

Lamont will quarantine at home for the next five days and skip all in-person events and meetings, Reiss said. “He will continue to monitor himself for symptoms and will take another PCR test in several days.”

Lamont added on Twitter Thursday: “I wanted you to hear straight from me that I tested positive for COVID-19 today. I feel good and I’m not experiencing any symptoms. We’ve done contact tracing to let people know. Thankfully I’m double boosted and I encourage everyone to get your vaccine and boosters if eligible.”

Connecticut’s rolling seven-day positivity rate has steadily increased recently, reaching 4.88% on Thursday. One hundred and twenty-seven people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Thursday, up from 88 a week earlier. Nineteen additional deaths were recorded.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration recently approved second booster shots of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines for people aged 50 and older, as well as those 12 and older with immune deficiencies, including people who have received a solid organ transplant.

People in eligible age groups or with qualifying medical conditions can get the second booster at least four months after they received the first. Those who got two doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can also seek a booster dose of the Pfizer or Moderna shots.

State and federal officials have warned that the U.S. could see a swell in cases in the coming weeks or months due to B.A.2, a subvariant of Omicron that has caused a surge in Europe. B.A.2 is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in new U.S. cases, the New York Times reported.

Jenna is a reporter on The Connecticut Mirror’s investigative desk. Her reporting on gaps in Connecticut’s elder care system prompted sweeping changes in nursing home and home care policy. Jenna has also covered lapses in long-term care facilities, investigated the impact of cyberattacks on hospitals, and uncovered the questionable dealings of health ministry groups that masquerade as insurance. Her reporting sparked reforms in health care and government oversight, helped erase medical debt for Connecticut residents, and led to the indictments of developers in a major state project. Her work has been recognized by the National Press Foundation and the Association of Health Care Journalists. Before joining CT Mirror, she was a reporter at The Hartford Courant, where she covered government in the capital city with a focus on corruption, theft of taxpayer funds, and ethical violations.