Month: September 2021

2021-09-03@10:00PMish– #Orange CT– A person has been hit and killed by a train near Marsh Hill at Connair Road. There are no details at this time.

2021-09-03@5:30pm–#Bridgeport CT– Firefighters at 120 Huntington Turnpike (12 story high rise) for a heavy smoke condition on the third floor.

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2021-09-03@10:12am–#Bridgeport CT– Today’s vehicle fire is a stone crusher machine at Barnum Dyke Road. The engine compartment caught fire according to radio reports.

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Governor Ned Lamont announced that at the advice of Connecticut Department of Public Health Acting Commissioner Dr. Deidre Gifford, he is directing Connecticut’s COVID-19 vaccine program to implement the recommendations released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday regarding the administration of third doses of COVID-19 vaccines to individuals who are moderately or severely immunocompromised.

On Thursday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorization for both the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines to allow for certain individuals with compromised immune systems to receive a third dose. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to recommend a third dose for these individuals.

Specifically, recipients of solid organ transplants and others who are moderately or severely immunocompromised and received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines are advised to receive a third dose of that vaccine at least four weeks following their second dose. The CDC’s latest guidance on the third dose does not apply to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

“The Connecticut Department of Public Health will work with providers and the public to ensure that individuals who need a third dose can get one,” Governor Lamont said. “Our vaccine providers stand ready to provide COVID vaccines in line with these updated recommendations.”

Governor Lamont added that in line with federal guidelines, prescriptions or provider referral is not required for immunocompromised individuals to receive a third dose of a COVID vaccine, although the recommended time between the second and third dose is at least four weeks.

Individuals who meet the criteria for additional doses of a COVID-19 vaccine can make an appointment or attend a walk-in clinic at any COVID vaccine provider location, including pharmacies, federally qualified health centers, or doctor’s offices. Individuals who are not sure whether they meet the criteria for a third dose should consult with their healthcare provider to discuss this further.

“This recommendation will apply to a relatively small number of individuals in Connecticut and we do not anticipate any challenges with adequate vaccine supply,” Commissioner Gifford said. “We have a broad and strong network of vaccine providers, including approximately 400 pharmacy locations alone, across the state that are ready to administer additional COVID 19 vaccine doses in line with these recommendations.”

People are considered moderately to severely immunocompromised if they are/have:

• Active treatment for solid tumor and hematologic malignancies
• Receipt of solid-organ transplant and taking immunosuppressive therapy
• Receipt of CAR-T-cell or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (within two years of transplantation or taking immunosuppression therapy)
• Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (e.g., DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
• Advanced or untreated HIV infection
• Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids (i.e., ≥20mg prednisone or equivalent per day), alkylating agents, antimetabolites, transplant-related immunosuppressive drugs, cancer chemotherapeutic agents classified as severely immunosuppressive, tumor-necrosis (TNF) blockers, and other biologic agents that are immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health will be working with vaccine and clinical partners in the coming days to implement this new policy.

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2021-09-02@10:10pm–#Fairfield CT– #cttraffic– A pedestrian has been struck on I-95 southbound between the two rest stops. CPR is in progress according to radio reports. A second injured person reported.

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2021-09-02@6:29pm–#Fairfield CT– A motorcyclist was hit by a car on Tahmore Drive at Black Rock Turnpike Drive. The driver fled the scene but may have been located by police on Lakeview Drive. The motorcyclist was up walking and talking with first responders.

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10 feet of the foundation damaged. Building inspector requested to the scene.

2021-09-02@5:30pm–#Norwalk CT– A water tank explodes in a flooded basement on Glenwood Avenue No reported injuries.

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#Fairfield CT– Over four feet of water flooded basement on Lynbrook Road and Lewis Drive as the Rooster River overflowed it’s banks last night. Residents told me this happened again in 2018. First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick toured the area and said that she plans to address the flooding with the ARPA funding. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARPA”) provides $350 billion in additional funding for state and local governments. She said whe will work with the city of Bridgeport to make this happen. First responders all over the area were busy last night rescuing people from flooded cars and evacuating people from side streets that couldn’t from their homes.

#Hartford, CT – In joint comments submitted today to the Connecticut Insurance Department, Attorney General William Tong and Healthcare Advocate Ted Doolittle sought the “highest level of scrutiny” for rate hike requests sought by health insurers.

Eleven insurers are seeking significant rate increases for a range of individual and small group plans, including those for small businesses. The largest increases are focused on plans typically purchased by small businesses with up to 50 employees. The average increase sought for individual plans is 8.6 percent and 12.9 percent for small group plans. Attorney General Tong and Healthcare Advocate Doolittle note that healthcare spending dropped as a consequence of the pandemic. As a result, insurers reaped windfall profits. Now, they are seeking new increases in top of already inflated rates.

“Annual health insurance price increases can wreak havoc on family budgets, but to say that the current proposed increases come at a difficult time is truly an understatement. Many consumers are struggling with the impacts of COVID-19: they have lost jobs; they can’t pay their rent and unemployment support is tapering.  Small employers are likewise facing intense economic hardships as they struggle to regain a footing in the market.  It is for these reasons and others that it is extremely important for the Insurance Department to apply the highest level of scrutiny to the alleged drivers of proposed health insurance price increases and question their merit with a detailed review,” the comments state.

Many of the plans submitting requests this year specifically cite costs related to COVID-19 as a significant basis for increasing prices. In some cases, they include costs for federally mandated coverage for testing, vaccination and treatment where federal reimbursement may have been available to health providers.

Without close analysis, the new proposed rate hikes could be added to 2021 rates that were already themselves overvalued relative to the declining experience upon which they were based. Further, the health plans have built in an assumption that declines in utilization in 2020 will result in added pent-up demand—an untested assumption that warrants thorough analysis, especially in light of the Delta variant surge.

Attorney General Tong and Healthcare Advocate Doolittle ask that the Insurance Department ensure that all assumptions are supported by evidence in the record.

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#Bridgeport CT– Everyone has been warning you, if the road looks flooded, it probably is. DA’s with their cars submerged at 500 Park Ave, Olive Street, State Street, East Washington, North and River, Bishop Avenue.

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