This evening, Thursday, January 13th First Selectman Kevin Moynihan provided the community with a coronavirus update reporting 233 reported positive COVID-19 cases versus 296 cases for all of last week.
Moynihad said, "We recognize that our current cases in New Canaan are most likely higher because of at home COVID-19 tests which are not required to be reported to state DPH at this time. Although home tests are not required to be reported directly to state DPH they are still required to be reported to all schools and daycares because positive cases cannot attend school, daycare, sports, etc."
New Canaan Director of Health is asking residents to complete a short form to report at home positive tests so she can better understand the real number of positive cases, unreported break through vaccination cases, and evaluate scope of the severity of local cases. CLICK HERE to report at home positive tests from this week and going forward.
Moynihan said that PCR COVID-19 testing is available (for New Canaan residents only) on Wednesday, January 19th and Friday January 21st from 7:00 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Irwin House in Irwin Park (848 Weed Street).
Please continue reading for Moynihan's complete message:
Governor Lamont reported yesterday that 68.3% of the 1,939 currently hospitalized in CT are not fully vaccinated. We therefore strongly encourage those that are unvaccinated to get vaccinated and we continue to stress the importance that anyone experiencing COVID symptoms stay home from school or work, and avoid large gatherings. As of last week, those aged 12 and over are eligible for booster doses and are encouraged to get their booster vaccinations if it has been 5 months or more since second dose. As a reminder those aged 12-17 can only receive Pfizer as their booster dose per FDA & CDC EUA approvals.
For those who test positive for COVID-19 please stay home and isolate for 5 days. If you have no symptoms or they have resolved with no fever you can leave isolation after day 5 but you should continue to wear a tight fitting mask around others for 5 additional days. We continue to encourage mask wearing for everyone when attending non-family gatherings indoors due to the increased community transmission we are seeing. The most common COVID-19 symptoms include: scratchy or sore throat, extreme fatigue, loss of sense of smell and taste, fever, vomiting, body aches, congestion, and headache.
For a breakdown of positive cases by age and week please go to the town website www.newcanaan.info and click on the red COVID box for chart links. A list of area COVID-19 test sites is also available on the town website [or by clicking here].
As a reminder our Health department also provides home bound vaccinations for those who need a booster dose at home due to medical, physical or other restrictions. Please call the Health department at 203-594-3020 to schedule a home bound vaccination.
VACCINATION UPDATE
Due to continued demand for boosters our Health Department is planning another large booster vaccination clinic for Thursday, January 20th at Irwin House in Irwin Park (848 Weed Street). When registering, please indicate in the comments portion of SignUpGenius your vaccination type(Moderna, Pfizer, or J&J) and please bring the required one page form completed along with your white vaccination cards to your booster appointment. Boosters are available to anyone aged 12 and over and it has been at least 5 months since second dose for those aged 12-17 and over. Those aged 12-15 are required to have a parent present in addition to the required forms. The registration link for the Thursday, January 20th booster clinic at Irwin Park is here.
A pediatric first & second dose COVID-19 vaccination clinic for ages 5-11 will be held on Tuesday January 18th at Vine Cottage at 77 Main Street. A parent or guardian is required and the VAMS form with signed parental consent form. This clinic is for those children who received their first doses on December 28th or who has previously missed their second dose appointment and is in need of a second dose. The registration link for the pediatric second dose clinic is here.
A pediatric first & second dose COVID-19 vaccination clinic for ages 5-11 will be held on Wednesday January 19th at Vine Cottage at 77 Main Street. A parent or guardian is required and the VAMS form with signed parental consent form. The registration link for the pediatric clinic is here.
As a reminder, both formulations of Pfizer are a two dose vaccine taken at least 21 days apart for ages 5 and over. Pfizer is the only FDA EUA approved vaccine for those aged 5-17 years old.
COVID-19 TESTING
Next week, we will begin a new weekly community PCR COVID-19 testing partnership with Progressive Diagnostics for residents who have traveled or otherwise wish to be tested. We thank Waveny LifeCare and SEMA4 for providing our community testing for the past year. SEMA4 notified us that they will be discontinuing COVID 19 testing as of January 15th . We felt it important to continue providing PCR testing locally to make it convenient for our residents. The Town partnership with Progressive Diagnostics will begin next week with PCR COVID-19 testing available (for New Canaan residents only) on Wednesday, January 19th and Friday January 21st from 7:00 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Irwin House in Irwin Park (848 Weed Street). Pre-registration is required and you must bring your insurance card, and a photo ID to your test appointment. Your insurance will be billed a $100 lab fee by Progressive Diagnostics. No walk-ins are permitted. Turnaround time for PCR test results is same day as testing with a maximum of up to 48 hours and will be received via email in the lab portal, for which you will receive instructions on how to access at your test appointment.
To register for PCR COVID-19 testing for next Wednesday, January 19th and Friday, January 21st please click on the following SignUpGenius link is here.
You must complete a separate registration for each individual to be tested. As a reminder, 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.
For additional testing locations in the area you can call 2-1-1, contact your primary care provider or visit the town website or click here for list of COVID-19 testing sites in our area.
There is limited free rapid COVID-19 antigen testing available during regular business hours with our Health Department at Vine Cottage (77 Main Street) for symptomatic New Canaan residents only by appointment. Please note these are not individual at home test kits; they are commercial rapid test kits that are required to be reported to CT DPH.
Please use the following SignUpGenius link for rapid COVID-19 antigen testing with our Health Dept. for Tuesday, January 18th – Thursday, January 20th click here
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.)