CONNECTICUT, USA — **What you need to know about the COVID-19 vaccine**
Governor Ned Lamont held his press conference Thursday discussing Connecticut's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its vaccine distribution plan.
As of the time of this writing, Connecticut ranks third nationally in vaccinations. There have been 35% of people 75 and older vaccinated, while there is an expected increase of 16% of first doses vaccinations next week. The state has administered 369,255 vaccines.
However, Governor Lamont said due to residents having issues with the VAMS system, the state has expanded access regarding the vaccine appointment Assistance Line. There have been 80 more people added to handle calls and the wait time has been diminished to less than three minutes.
Connecticut has been vaccinating its residents in nursing homes and according to the state data, there has been a decline in nursing home cases. As recently as January 26, there were 188 reported cases compared to the January 19 report of 238.
Gov. Lamont continued by saying Connecticut is working on getting vaccines into the arms of those in vulnerable communities. Recently Bristol Health and the NAACP held a town hall meeting for those with questions regarding the vaccine. The meeting was held to dispel vaccine rumors and concerns with the goal of instilling trust within the community. Vaccine totals for those in vulnerable communities have been low, with only 23.5% of people 75 and older had first doses coverage.
Watch the full town hall meeting below:
Connecticut administered 40,185 tests and 1,426 came back positive, yielding a positivity rate of approximately 3.55 percent. The 7-day average is about 4.4 percent.
Hospitalizations for the first time in months dipped below 1,000 patients. There are now 955 people in the hospital for COVID-19.
Sadly, Connecticut surpassed 7,000 COVID-19 related deaths. The total death toll has now reached 7,020 people.