Connecticut Health Investigative Team (http://c-hit.org/author/bonnie-phillips/)
Residents testing positive for COVID-19 totaled 687,555, up 2,795 since yesterday; the positivity rate is 10.93%, the state Department of Public Health (DPH) reported. The state reported 14,421,397 COVID tests completed, up 25,568. Hospitalizations declined by 100 since yesterday, bringing the total to 1,346. The state reported 241 deaths since Jan. 13, bringing the death total to 9,683.
If you are at least 65 years or older, you’re probably being inundated with letters, postcards and TV ads urging you to sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan, switch plans or keep the one you have. The reason for the advertising blitz is because Medicare recipients have the annual window of opportunity from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 to take those actions. If you have Medicare, it is an excellent opportunity to review your health plan to make sure you have the best coverage considering your health condition, age, and location.
CitySeed’s Downtown Farmers Market reopened on the New Haven Green this summer after a closure during the pandemic, with vendors’ booths lined up near City Hall featuring fresh vegetables, fruits, and handmade soaps. This video was produced by Allyson Anderson, a student at Achievement First High School in Hartford, and Ava Dell’Orfano, a student at Coginchaug High School in Durham.
CitySeed’s Downtown Farmers Market reopened on the New Haven Green this summer after a closure during the pandemic, with vendors’ booths lined up near City Hall featuring fresh vegetables, fruits, and handmade soaps. This video was produced by Shimei Ricks-Cook, a student at Bloomfield High School, and Tori Matula, a student at Foran High School in Milford.
CitySeed’s Downtown Farmers Market reopened on the New Haven Green this summer after a closure during the pandemic, with vendors’ booths lined up near City Hall featuring fresh vegetables, fruits, and handmade soaps. This video was produced by Rodjae Smith, a student at West Haven High School, and Ava Roulier, a student at RHAM High School in Hebron.
If you are without health insurance, you can find coverage during a special enrollment period that runs through Aug. 15, Access Health CT announced. The newly-approved federal American Rescue Plan is making health insurance more affordable by eliminating or vastly reducing monthly premium costs for people with low to moderate incomes. Even people with higher incomes who are enrolled in health insurance through Access Health, the state’s insurance exchange, may see their monthly premium costs reduced. The special enrollment period at Access Health CT runs from May 1 to Aug.
Q. Some people are skeptical about receiving the vaccine. What are some of the concerns, and what are the responses to these concerns? A. According to polling by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit health information and journalism organization, the main reasons given by those who are hesitant to get a COVID-19 vaccine include possible side effects (59%); lack of trust in the government to ensure the vaccines’ safety and effectiveness (55%); vaccine is too new (53%); concerns over the role of politics in the development process (51%); the risks of getting COVID are exaggerated (43%); don’t trust vaccines in general (37%); don’t trust the health care system (35%); worried about getting COVID from the vaccine (27%); don’t think they’re at risk of getting sick from the virus (20%). Members of different racial groups have different reasons for not wanting to get vaccinated.
Q. The vaccine rollout is under way. Where are we in the process, who can get it, and where? A. The state is in Phase 1B of the vaccine process. In Phase 1A, healthcare personnel, long-term care facility residents and medical first responders were vaccinated.
Q. Since COVID-19, the hospital experience is different for patients and visitors. Patient and employee safety has changed many things, some that we see and some behind the scenes. This is what our hospitals are doing for safety reasons and why. A. At the beginning of the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that hospitals give priority to urgent visits and delay elective care to minimize the spread of COVID-19 in hospitals.
Q. We have been hearing about different scams related to the COVID-19 virus. One such scam had to do with fake COVID-19 testing. What type of scams are out there and how can they be avoided? A. In November, Bridgeport officials warned residents about a fraudulent COVID test site near Gala Foods on East Main Street.