Important COVID-19 Vaccine Statement Released By CT Health Dep't

Good Monday morning Connecticut,

It looks like another pleasant week of weather overall. Monday will feature sunshine and temperatures around 60 degrees, a little warmer on Tuesday, and we're back into the low 70s on Wednesday and Thursday as sunshine dominates.

The weekend will feature much cooler temperatures, with highs only in the upper 50s. There are no rain chances over the next week except for a 40 percent chance of showers on Thursday night.

CT Department of Public Health Releases Statement on COVID-19 Vaccine

On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration’s advisory committee voted unanimously to recommend emergency use authorization of a booster dose of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine at least two months after people age 18 and older receive the first dose.

On Thursday, the FDA advisory committee also recommended a booster dose of the Moderna vaccine six months after full vaccination in people 65 and older, and with individuals 18 – 64 years of age who are at high risk of severe COVID-19.

While (last) week’s FDA meetings are the start of the process, the Connecticut Department of Public Health will continue to work with our federal partners, vaccine providers, and other stakeholders to be sure we are ready to provide the Moderna and J&J boosters when these recommendations are finalized.

The next steps are for the FDA to offer a final recommendation for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) when they meet on Oct. 20 and 21. Pending this guidance from ACIP, we expect that the administration of both these booster vaccines could start as soon as Oct. 22.

However, this timeline is subject to change as more information is released. DPH looks forward to collaborating with hundreds of vaccine providers across the state on any booster roll-out. These providers include hospitals/health systems, federally qualified health centers, pharmacies, physician practices and local health departments. DPH stresses that there is a more than adequate supply of vaccine available.

The COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States continue to be remarkably effective in reducing risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, even against the widely circulating Delta variant. It is critical that unvaccinated and partially vaccinated people get their primary series of vaccines to further reduce the risk of COVID-19 and its more severe outcomes. Nearly all the cases of severe disease, hospitalization, and death continue to occur among those not yet vaccinated at all.

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Connecticut Department of Public Health Provides Update on Long-term Care Facility Staff Vaccination Rates

Nearly three-fourths of all long-term care facilities subject to Executive Order 13F, the state’s long-term care vaccine mandate, have reported to the Connecticut Department of Health that 95 percent of workers covered by the mandate are either fully vaccinated or partially vaccinated. Through October 8, 2021, long-term care facilities reported a total of 61,227 staff subject to the Executive Order. Of this number, 89 percent are reported as fully vaccinated, and 7 percent are reported as partially vaccinated.

In addition, long-term care facilities reported 2,851 “covered LTC workers” as unvaccinated because they had medical or religious exemptions or they were unvaccinated for other reasons. DPH will follow-up with individual facilities to ensure full compliance with the mandate. Under Executive Order 13F, long-term care facilities cannot employ or enter into a contract or other arrangement with a covered LTC worker who is not fully or partially vaccinated and does not have a medical or religious exemption for COVID-19 vaccination.

Long-term care facilities subject to the Executive Order include nursing homes, assisted living services agencies, managed residential communities, residential care homes, chronic disease hospitals, and intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ICF/IIDs).

DPH also reports that as of the September 28th reporting deadline, 226 long-term care facilities (35%) of 643 long-term care facilities subject to the Order failed to submit compliance attestations by the state’s reporting deadline of midnight on September 28th.

DPH has learned that part of this underreporting may have resulted from the decision by some facilities which share buildings and staff to report all covered LTC workers under a single facility so as not to double count the number of workers subject to the Order.

DPH has revised the compliance report so that facilities can indicate if they are consolidating their data under one report. All facilities subject to the Order are required to submit a compliance report.

DPH reports that 167 long-term care facilities had yet to comply with the reporting requirements of Executive Order 13F as of October 8th. Failure to comply with the Order, including reporting requirements set forth by DPH, is subject to civil penalties of up to $20,000 per day. DPH will begin issuing notices of civil penalties next week to facilities that failed to report by the deadline or have not reported at all. In addition, DPH will begin auditing facility reports to confirm continued compliance with other requirements of the Order, including facility obligations to authenticate vaccination status of covered LTC workers.

“We commend the long-term care community for achieving such high vaccination rates,” said DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD. “The residents of our long-term care facilities are some of the most vulnerable citizens of our state. We applaud the tens of thousands of vaccinated long-term care workers for prioritizing the health and safety of the patients and residents under their care as well as the health and safety of themselves, their families, and their co-workers.”

Juthani also encourages people to explore the new online tool developed by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that makes it easier to check COVID-19 vaccination rates of nursing home staff and residents. Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes have been required to report weekly COVID-19 vaccination data for both residents and staff since May. CMS has begun posting the information at COVID-19 Nursing Home Data, or https://data.cms.gov/covid-19/covid-19-nursing-home-data (part of the www.medicare.gov website).

Here are conditions on CT's major roadways

PUTNAM - Road Work on I-395 Northbound between Exits 47 and 49 (2.0 miles) in effect today until 3:30 pm. The right lane is closed. Reported Monday, October 18 at 7:11 am.

WATERBURY - Road Work on I-84 Westbound between Exits 17 and 16 (5.5 miles) in effect today until 4:00 pm. The left lane is closed. Reported Monday, October 18 at 7:55 am.

BRANFORD - I-95 Southbound is congested between Exits 55 and 52 (4.0 miles) because of Road Work between Exits 54 and 52. Road Work in effect until Friday, October 22 at 6:00 am. The left lane is closed. Reported Monday, October 18 at 8:02 am.

BRIDGEPORT - Delays. I-95 Southbound is congested between Exits 26 and 24 (1.6 miles). Reported Monday, October 18 at 6:07 am.

FAIRFIELD - Delays. I-95 Southbound is congested between Exits 19 and 13 (10.2 miles). Reported Monday, October 18 at 6:49 am.

DARIEN - Delays. I-95 Southbound is congested between Exits 10 and 5 (5.6 miles). Reported Monday, October 18 at 7:15 am.

BRANFORD - I-95 Southbound is congested between Exits 55 and 52 (4.0 miles) because of Road Work between Exits 54 and 52. Road Work in effect until Friday, October 22 at 6:00 am. The left lane is closed. Reported Monday, October 18 at 8:02 am.

TRUMBULL - Delays. RT15 Southbound is congested between Exits 52 and 37 (18.0 miles). Reported Monday, October 18 at 6:20 am.

TRUMBULL - Road Work on RT25 Southbound between Exits 8 and 6 in effect today until 4:00 pm. The 2 right lanes are closed. Reported Monday, October 18 at 4:55 am.

TRUMBULL - Road Work on RT25 Northbound between Exits 9 and Route 111 in effect today until 4:00 pm. The 2 right lanes are closed. Reported Monday, October 18 at 5:12 am.

THOMASTON - Road Work on RT8 Southbound between Exits 40 and 38 (1.9 miles) in effect today until 3:34 pm. The right lane is closed. Reported Monday, October 18 at 7:35 am.