New state Public Health Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juhtani says COVID-19 has "plateaued" or is even dropping in Connecticut, but keeping that trend going will mean ramping up vaccinations.
"We still have about a third of our population in Connecticut who are either not eligible or who have not chosen to get vaccinated yet," says Juthani. "So, we need to really try the best we can to try to encourage people to get vaccinated, because that is the way that we are really going to be able to get life back to normal."
The state's latest 24-hour positive test rate is 2.3%, a dip from the 7-day average of 2.7%. The U.S. average is about 8%. In his latest public COVID-19 briefing, Gov. Ned Lamont tied Connecticut's relatively low positive rate to its relatively high vaccination rate. 2.5 million state residents have received at least one shot. 2.3 million are fully vaccinated.
Like Juthani, Lamont says there's still progress to be made through vaccinations: "We still have 600 people a day testing positive. We still have a few hundred in the hospital."
State workers have an immediate motivation to get their shots: they're required, effective Monday. Employees will have to present proof of vaccination or a weekly test. "There will be significant discipline for non-compliance," says state COO Josh Geballe. He says the specific penalties are still being worked out with various state employees' unions.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control said Thursday that booster shots should be offered to people 65 and older, nursing home residents and those 50 or older with underlying health problems. The boosters should be delivered at least six months after patients received their last Pfizer shot.
The State Dept. of Public Health (DPH) issued a statement Thursday night:
DPH statementCT DPH
