From our State Senator, Norm Needleman.
As Connecticut works to reopen its economy, you will undoubtedly hear the term “contact tracing” used in the near future. But what is contact tracing?
It’s an important part of the response to any pandemic. Because COVID-19 is an extremely infectious disease, it is important to determine possible transmission vectors; in other words, times and places where people can spread infections; as quickly and as directly as possible.
In coming weeks, statewide teams will interview individuals recently confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 and ask them about their recent travels and who they may have come in contact with in recent weeks. That information is vitally important, as it will allow the infected individual and the team of tracers to work backward, contacting people who may have come in contact with COVID and asking them to self-quarantine or to seek treatment if necessary. People who are pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic will be able to isolate themselves, reducing the number of people they can infect in turn. This is a key approach to slowing COVID transmissions and ensuring the virus does not run rampant, cutting off potential infestations or infection clusters before they can make the virus’s spread worse.
Why Is Testing Key To Reopening?
In past weeks, you’ve likely heard that testing for COVID-19 is a key step to be able to reopen Connecticut. There are several reasons for that, and while testing, along with social distancing and contact tracing, is just one part of a greater puzzle in fighting COVID-19, it is a significant advantage to have. Widespread testing has the following benefits:
- With increased testing, it’s not just that anyone who thinks they’re sick can confirm or rule out that they have COVID – they will know and can inform friends and family, coworkers and anyone else they’ve come into contact with. Health care workers can know if they are infectious; widespread testing capacity can confirm or rule out hotzones as they begin to happen, allowing responders an opportunity to focus efforts in specific regions of the state.
- Testing moves away from troubled areas. Today, in states like Ohio, up to 40 percent of all recognized infected individuals work in health care or are prisoners; that focus on specific areas removes testing capacity from the general population. It’s important to know our health care workers are ill or sick, but it’s just as important to know everyone who thinks they’re ill can confirm or deny that.
- Testing would also allow for targeted testing in troubled areas, like nursing homes. Hotspot locations like nursing homes, with many at-risk residents and workers, can see the entire population tested in a single day with ramped-up testing. That means the results can come back and plans can move forward to save as many lives as possible through medical intervention. Responses can accelerate in ways that protect members of the community.
Increased testing is not a one-size-fits-all tool to prevent COVID, but it’s one of several in a toolbox leaders can use to slow and stem its spread. In coming weeks, we hope testing capacity continues to grow in our state and beyond.
Donations to Food Pantries Encouraged
Connecticut residents with extra canned and non-perishable food items are asked to make donations to local food pantries. A list of local food pantries is available at www.211ct.org/foodpantries; monetary donations are also welcome to local food pantries as well as state regional food banks Foodshare and the Connecticut Food Bank.
How To Get Help Through United Way 2-1-1
COVID-19 has upended our lives, leaving many people struggling. If you need help but have never used a system like United Way 2-1-1, there is a new online guide available to help you through the process available here. The 15-minute YouTube video will explain how to search for information specifically for your needs, connect you with local organizations that can provide food and other assistance, and inform you on how to best maneuver unfamiliar systems. The guide can be accessed here.
Family Campgrounds Closed To Public
According to the State Department of Public Health, as family campgrounds are expected to open for the season in coming weeks, new guidelines have been released regarding who can live or stay at a campground in the near future.
Family campgrounds have been closed to members of the public including transient and recreational campers; essential workers including health care workers, first responders or out-of-state workers assisting with transporting or delivering health-related services will be allowed to stay at these locations, as well as owners and long-term lease holders. In addition, anyone staying at a family campground must comply with executive orders prohibiting gatherings of six or more people and common areas must be closed.
$72.3 million in SNAP Benefits
The state of Connecticut received federal approval for its plan to provide $72.3 million in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits to children eligible for free and reduced-price meals. Authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Response act, these new benefits will provide food to about 270,000 children in the state who do not receive meals at school. The Department of Social Services initially estimates approximately $72 million in benefits will be provided to 150,000 total households to account for school closures. Additional benefits may be provided if school closures are extended further. More information is available at www.ct.gov/snap.
