This evening, Thursday, September 2nd First Selectman Kevin Moynihan provided the community with a coronavirus update. Please read the important information below.
WEEKLY COVID-19 REPORT
Our COVID-19 positive cases declined to 9 positive cases so far this week, down from 24 positive cases last week. These local positive cases continue to occur across various age brackets. Five of the cases are unvaccinated, including 3 children under the age of 12 who are ineligible to be vaccinated, and a few of the cases this week are due to family transmission. We again remind families to isolate positive family members to the extent possible from younger, unvaccinated family members. For updated information on the weekly cases, by age brackets, visit the red COVID-19 alert box on the town website at www.newcanaan.info.
We’ve had a total of 30 “break-through” positive cases of fully vaccinated residents, most of which have been associated with travel or being in close contact with someone who recently traveled. The 30 break-through cases are out of 14,360 fully vaccinated New Canaan residents which equates to 0.21%, so becoming infected with COVID-19 for those fully vaccinated continues to be rare. The majority of the break-through cases continue to be asymptomatic or have very mild symptoms so it is clear that the vaccine is effective in preventing severe illness and death in these known local cases.
We continue to remind residents that it is very important to stay home from work, school, sports, daycare, etc. if you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 in order to prevent transmission to others. Symptoms include (but are not limited too): fever, sore throat, cough, body pain, loss of sense of smell and/or taste, vomiting, congestion, and fatigue. We encourage those who exhibit these symptoms to get tested and isolate until results are received.
Guidelines from state DPH regarding booster vaccine doses for the general public have not been released as of yet. CT DPH anticipates a start date of around September 20th and our Health Department will again provide community COVID-19 vaccination clinics to make vaccinations conveniently accessible locally to all residents who wish to participate.
CT WIZ PUBLIC PORTAL FOR VACCINATION RECORDS
Residents who have been vaccinated will now be able to access their immunization records online through the secure CT WiZ Public Portal, a free service provided by the state of CT DPH Immunization Program. [A press release can be found here.]
Vaccinated adults and legal guardians can access official immunization records for themselves and children under the age of 18 using the CT WiZ Public Portal with ‘two-factor authentication’ to verify identity.
(Note: You won’t find the record if the contact information does not match what the vaccine provider reported to CT WIZ. If you are unable to locate your record in the portal, you can contact the DPH Immunization Program for assistance online at helpdesk or calling 860-509-7929 during business hours Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.)
Last week, we began twice-weekly community COVID-19 testing in partnership with Waveny LifeCare Network for residents who have traveled or otherwise wish to be tested. PCR COVID-19 testing will be available (for New Canaan residents only) next Tuesday and Thursday, September 7th and 9th from 7:00 a.m.to 10 a.m. at the Paddle Lodge in Waveny Park. Pre-registration is required and you must bring your insurance card, a credit card and a photo ID to your test appointment. (Your insurance may pay the $107 SEMA4 lab fee, but if not your credit card will be charged.) No walk-ins are permitted.
Turnaround time for PCR test results is 24-48 hours and results will be received via email in the SEMA4 portal, for which you will receive instructions on how to access at your test appointment.
To register for COVID 19 testing for next Tuesday, September 7th, or Thursday, September 9th, please click on the following SignUpGenius link here, You must complete a separate registration for each individual to be tested. As a reminder, SEMA4 lab requires a separate email and registration for each individual being tested so if your child does not have an email address we suggest creating a free Gmail or similar free email account for your child’s registration.
Our Health Department also has limited amount of Abott BinaxNOW rapid antigen tests available for New Canaan residents only who are symptomatic and seeking quick results. Contact the Health Department at 203-594-3020 to schedule a rapid test at their office at Vine Cottage.
For additional testing locations in the area you can call 2-1-1, contact your primary care provider or visit the town website by clicking here for list of COVID-19 testing sites in our area.
VACCINATION UPDATE
According to CT DPH data as of August 26th, 100% of our seniors over age 65, 87.23% of those age 45 to 64, 100% of those age 25 to 44, 100% of those aged 18-24, and 92.41% of those aged 12-17 years old have received at least one dose of vaccine. Overall, 77.52% of our total New Canaan population has received at least one dose and 70.97% of our total population is now fully vaccinated. As a reminder, those under the age of 12 are not eligible to be vaccinated at this time.
The New Canaan Health Department continues to provide vaccinations by appointment of all 3 vaccines for those still in need of either a first or second dose. The Pfizer, Moderna and Jansen (J&J) vaccines are all available.
To schedule a vaccination appointment with the New Canaan Health Department please call 203-594-3020 or email Shannon.vallerie@newcanaanct.gov. The Health Department office is located in Vine Cottage, 77 Main Street, next to Town Hall.
As a reminder, J&J is a single dose vaccine for ages 18 and over, Moderna is a two dose vaccine taken at least 28 days apart for ages 18 and over, and Pfizer is a two dose vaccine taken at least 21 days apart for ages 12 & over. Pfizer is the only FDA EUA approved vaccine for those aged 12-17 years old.