Month: December 2021

2021-12-28@10:27pm–#Bridgeport CT– #cttraffic– A crash I-95 northbound, where else but before 27A.

2021-12-28@7:40pm–#Bridgeport CT– If you park on the street at Madison and Center Street Extension you may want to check on your car. There is a report of a man jumping on the parked cars.

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Westport, CT –First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker issued the following update today:

The State of CT has procured a substantial number of at-home COVID test kits and will be distributing them to local municipalities. The Town of Westport will be taking delivery of the Town’s allotment this week and will begin to distribute them immediately. We will be distributing the test kits to Westport Residents on Thursday, December 30, 2021, at Staples High School at 1pm. There are a limited number of kits available. We will provide two (2) kits per vehicle on a first come, first served basis.

As early as next week, the State of CT will also be distributing N95 masks that will be available to the public. State officials stress that details of the distribution of the N95 masks are still being finalized and are subject to change.

Those wishing to receive their allotment of at-home test kits should drive to Staples High School, using the main entrance on North Avenue. Vehicles will drive up to the point of distribution, where an attendant will provide the test kits to you.  We ask that you remain in your vehicles while waiting and be prepared to show your driver’s license to the attendant who greets you.  Once you receive your kits, we ask that you leave the point of distribution to relieve traffic congestion around the high school.

Connecticut Public Health Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani said: “I strongly encourage people to limit gathering sizes during this holiday week. Because of the scarcity of these kits, I am asking the residents of our state to please take only the kits that you need for your immediate family so that we can distribute as many as possible to help flatten the Omicron curve.”

Per the newest CDC recommendations, if your self-test yields a positive result, please stay home or isolate for 5 days, if asymptomatic, followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others. There is no need to obtain a follow up PCR test. Given the highly infectious nature of the Omicron variant, it is most important to wear a mask both in public spaces and when interacting in close contact with individuals outside of your household. For the latest CDC guidelines, please see this link: latest CDC guidelines.

Families with children attending the Westport Public Schools are asked to report positive Covid-19 cases of students using the district’s reporting voicemail or email. Please follow this link for more information on reporting.  Please note that it is not necessary to report positive results from at-home testing to the Westport Weston Health District.

We urge our residents to remain cautious and safe to protect yourselves, your families, and your neighbors.  Thank you for your commitment to the health and well-being of the Westport Community.

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First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick confirmed that Fairfield will be receiving approximately 7,710 kits to distribute to residents, 2 tests per kit. With Fairfield’s population at 61,000 residents the amount the state is providing doesn’t allow for all our residents to receive a test kit.  Therefore the Emergency Management Team felt it was important to prioritize the distribution for residents that are experiencing symptoms or have been exposed to someone who tested positive.  

We were told that we should receive the test kits Thursday morning in Fairfield, and have prepared for a distribution event for Fairfield residents.

This Thursday, December 30, from 12-5pm, or until supplies last, the Town will host a test-kit distribution at Roger Ludlowe Middle School, with all traffic entering at 440 Mill Plain Road, adjacent to Sturges Park.

– Due to limited supply at this time, test kits are intended for residents that are symptomatic or that have a known exposure to someone who tested positive
– Proof of residency via your valid 2021 Fairfield beach or dump sticker, OR a driver’s license 
– 2 kits (4 tests) will be distributed per household

Residents must enter the site from Mill Plain Road. The Fairfield Police Department will be managing traffic, and I ask that you please follow the directional signs and cones to keep the flow of traffic moving quickly.

Before Christmas, I taped a video with our Director of Health Sands Cleary to share information with our community. For those residents who are not on Facebook, I wanted to provide a link to the video with a COVID update.  

I know some of our residents are concerned about the high transmission rate of Omicron. I thought it might be helpful to share with you the Town’s contact tracers are finding that the majority of positive cases are coming from household exposures, during at-home gatherings, Thanksgiving day celebrations and other holiday parties, and not typically from short visits to the grocery store or retail shops. I continue to encourage our residents to follow the CDC guidelines that recommend wearing a mask when indoors, especially when a six foot distance from others can’t be maintained.

I’ve also provided more information below on vaccines, testing locations, new CDC guidelines and other resources which may be helpful. 

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Mayor Laura R. Hoydick has announced plans for distribution in Stratford of COVID-19 test kits that the Town will receive as part of the 3 million rapid-test kits being distributed to Connecticut towns and cities by order of Governor Ned Lamont. 

Test kits are being distributed to Connecticut communities on a per capita basis, with Stratford receiving 6570 kits. Kits will be made available to Stratford at two distribution points. As the number of kits available will be insufficient to cover everyone in town, they will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Based on CT Department of Health recommendations to limit the number of tests made available per household, the Stratford distribution sites will distribute a maximum of two kits per household. Each kit contains two tests.

The kits will be made available from 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 30^th, at the following locations:

·      Bunnell High School Parking Lot – 1 Bulldog Blvd., Stratford

·      Stratford Academy: Johnson House Parking Lot – 719 Birdseye St., Stratford

Tests will be available only to Stratford residents and distributed through drive-up. Residents will be directed through each drive-up by staff at each location. Everyone in vehicles coming through the drive-up should remain masked the entire time.

Households will have additional opportunities to receive test kits in the coming weeks through the school system and Federally-Qualified Health Centers.

Residents should note that there continues to be sites available in Stratford for COVID-19 tests, including DeLuca Field parking lot every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. (closed Friday Dec. 31^st). You can register here: https://hipaa.jotform.com/MurphyMA/Register

Drive-through testing is also available at DOCS Urgent Care Center, 200 East Main Street (Appointments can be made here: https://docsmedicalgroup.com/docsurgentcare/book-appointment-locations/) and at CVS Pharmacy at 1 Hawley Lane (Appointments can be made at http://www.cvs.com).

Get Vaccinated and Boosted

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 has proven to be very contagious, and those who remain unvaccinated should do so as soon as possible. More information on vaccines can be obtained by visiting https://portal.ct.gov/Vaccine-Portal.

Locations for vaccines and boosters in Stratford (appointments required):

·      CVS Pharmacy – 1425 Barnum Ave.

·      Walgreens – 1606 Barnum Ave.

·      ShopRite Pharmacy – 250 Barnum Ave.

·      Walmart – 150 Barnum Ave.

·      Stop & Shop – 200 East Main Street

·      Rite Aid – 1060 East Main St.

The Connecticut Department of Health also has many walk-in clinics available without an appointment:

https://portal.ct.gov/vaccine-portal/DPH-Van-Clinics?language=en_US

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2021-12-28@12:46pm–#Westport CT– #cttraffic– Two crashes are snarling traffic on I-95 northbound near exit 18. According to radio reports are two crashes with injuries bringing traffic to a crawl.

2021-12-28@9:17am–#Easton CT– The steaks were high on Austin Drive in Easton where animal control and police work to herd cows back to where they belong.

Thanks to Mary Vimini for the photo and Sheryl Petmom for detailed info and kept me from butchering this report, they didn’t steer me wrong…yes, I know I’m milking these puns.

2021-12-28@11:11am–#Stratford CT– #cttraffic– Today’s vehicle fire was on I-95 southbound at exit 32. No injuries reported. DOT camera is over-exposed.

2021-12-28@10:31am–Viewer Robert Keppler sent in this photo of truck hitting the overpass at Round Hill Road in Fairfield. Robert said the area was quickly cleared.

HARTFORD, CT – Governor Ned Lamont announced plans to distribute three million COVID-19 at-home rapid tests and six million N95 masks in Connecticut in an effort to help curb the spread of COVID-19 during this heavy travel and holiday season.

The first allocation will include the distribution of 500,000 iHealth kits – each containing two tests for a total of one million tests – that will be designated for the general public. Distribution of these kits is scheduled to begin on Thursday, December 30, 2021, and is expected to run through the following week. The Connecticut Department of Public Health, Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, and Connecticut National Guard will oversee the distribution of the kits, with support from regional and local emergency management teams. This initiative also will include the distribution of N95 masks. State officials stress that details of the distribution of the kits and N95 masks are still being finalized and are subject to change this week.

In addition to those designated for the general public, the state has purchased another one million iHealth kits – each containing two tests for a total of two million tests – that will be distributed to K-12 schools statewide. Distribution of those kits, which will also include a supply of N95 masks, will begin in January and continue through the school year as supplies last. Planning for this initiative is being conducted in partnership with the Connecticut State Department of Education. More details on the distribution of tests for schools will be announced in early January.

The total cost of the three million tests is approximately $18.5 million and will be funded through federal funds.

“Connecticut is currently experiencing another surge in COVID-19 cases that is being driven mostly by the highly transmissible Omicron variant,” Governor Lamont said. “As a result, the demand for tests has outpaced the supply of testing available through our statewide network of about 400 sites. The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is likely to be a period of high transmission, and we have to get 2022 off to a good start by helping residents identify COVID-19 quickly and take those steps to isolate appropriately to curb any further spread.”

The governor added that the addition of these at-home tests will immediately expand the number of tests available in Connecticut in a very short period. Last week, about 250,000 tests were reported to the Connecticut Department of Public Health.

“There are three simple and effective interventions to fight off the current surge of COVID-19 from the Omicron variant – vaccination, masking, and testing,” Connecticut Public Health Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani said. “We will be distributing two of these – masks and tests – so that our communities can work as quickly as possible to get past this surge. I strongly encourage people to limit gathering sizes during this holiday week. Because of the scarcity of these kits, I am asking the residents of our state to please take only the kits that you need for your immediate family so that we can distribute as many as possible to help flatten the Omicron curve. Per the CDC recommendations, if your self-test yields a positive result, please stay home or isolate for 10 days and wear a mask. There is no need to obtain a follow up PCR test. Given the highly infectious nature of the Omicron variant, it is most important to wear any mask both in public spaces and when interacting in close contact with individuals outside of your household, but an N95 mask will provide better protection. We are distributing enough N95 masks for any Connecticut resident that would like one.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has granted emergency use authorization for the iHealth COVID-19 antigen rapid test, which is completed with an anterior nasal swab and is not the deep nasal test. The complete instructions for the at-home rapid test are available on the iHealth packaging in English and Spanish. Results are usually available in 15 minutes. More information on the iHealth antigen home test kits is available at ihealthlabs.com.

“Residents who have not been vaccinated should get their COVID-19 vaccine now and can do so by visiting ct.gov/covidvaccine,” Commissioner Juthani said. “For all vaccinated people 16 and older that are eligible for a booster, please get one as soon as possible. For all school-age children 5 and older that are not vaccinated yet, please use this school break to get vaccinated. Vaccination saves lives and keeps people who get COVID out of the hospital.”

The Connecticut Department of Public Health is in the process of adding 7 more community testing sites to its current roster of 23 state-sponsored sites. Information on the approximately 400 COVID-19 testing sites currently operating in Connecticut is available by calling 2-1-1 or visiting 211CT.org.]

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