Officials trumpeted how quickly they readied COVID testing in 2020. Now local leaders are asking how omicron caught them unprepared.
COVID
Falling COVID counts in wastewater could signal end of omicron wave
Measuring COVID in sewage has been a reliable indicator of the virus’ spread, but Connecticut pulled program funding last year.
Health care workers, already under strain, seeing record COVID infections
Health care workers are contracting COVID at higher rates than ever, and changes in federal policies are complicating the problems.
As COVID rates rise, state remains committed to keeping schools open
State leaders stressed their commitment to keeping schools open, despite school districts delaying students’ return to classrooms.
COVID-19 tests starting to arrive in CT after ‘airtight agreement’ fell apart
A promised order of 1.5 million COVID-19 tests that was supposed to heading to CT is not coming.
COVID positivity rates soar to 17.8% in CT, but hospitalizations remain under control
Connecticut’s COVID cases have hit rates not seen since the beginning of the pandemic: 17.8% positivity and 7,520 new cases.
COVID test kits haven’t arrived in CT; Local distributions set for Thursday postponed
At-home COVID-19 testing kits haven’t arrived yet, and towns might have to cancel distribution plans that some scheduled for Thursday.
Lamont uses federal COVID money to fund one-time tax relief for poor
Gov. Ned Lamont will re-direct $75 million in expiring federal COVID-19 relief into one-time tax refunds for Connecticut’s working poor.
State to distribute millions of COVID testing kits and N95 masks
Connecticut will begin distributing more than 3 million COVID-19 at-home tests and 6 million N95 masks as early as Thursday.
With COVID cases increasing again in nursing homes, officials mull mandates
With less than 30% of nursing home staff having received a booster shot, some providers are considering a booster mandate.
Lamont pushes COVID testing, declines new mandates
Connecticut is expanding testing for COVID-19, but no new restrictions or mandates are contemplated, the governor said Monday.
CT’s COVID positivity rate tops 8% as 2nd case of omicron variant is recorded
A second CT instance of the omicron variant of COVID-19 was discovered in Fairfield County.
Two-thirds of nursing home residents have received COVID boosters
Just over one-in-five nursing home staff who were eligible for COVID booster shots had received one by Nov. 21.
More than 100 long-term care facilities still haven’t reported vaccination rates to the state
Nearly 75% of the 600+ long-term care facilities reported that 95% of their staff are immunized against COVID,
A week after staff vaccination deadline, about half of CT nursing homes had rates under 96%
At least 98 nursing homes had staff COVID vaccination rates under 96% six days after the vaccination mandate deadline.