The Food and Drug Administration is expected to quickly authorize the emergency use of a coronavirus vaccine after a panel of advisers voted in favor of it last night. By this time next week, some people in Connecticut will have received the first dose of the vaccine.
Here are the latest updates on the coronavirus in Connecticut.
The Numbers (as of Thursday)
Cases: 142,979 (+2,431 from Wednesday)
Tests reported: 3,631,852 (+36,659)
Positivity rate: 6.63%
Current hospitalizations: 1,214 (-48)
Deaths: 5,327 (+42)
Connecticut VA Hospital To Be Among First Vaccine Recipients
The Veteran Affairs Medical Center in West Haven will officially be one of the first facilities to receive an initial shipment of Pfizer’s COVID vaccine.
The announcement from the Department of Veterans Affairs comes after U.S. Senator Richard Blumethal urged the department to prioritize Connecticut veterans.
- Camila Vallejo
Panel Urges More Social Distancing In Connecticut Prisons
A court-created panel is suggesting improved social distancing in Connecticut prisons. CT News Junkie reports the panel wants Department of Correction officials to move bunks farther apart in dormitories.
The panel said social distancing guidelines seemed to be sparsely implemented, even though more space is available in dorm areas in some facilities. Prison dorms have been a source of concern for possible transmission of coronavirus.
The panel was created as part of a settlement in a lawsuit by the ACLU against the state.
- Matt Dwyer
New Hampshire Republican Dies One Week After Becoming House Speaker
New Hampshire state Rep. Dick Hinch died from COVID-19 on Wednesday. He was elected speaker by his House colleagues on Dec. 2. That election occurred outside at the University of New Hampshire because of pandemic concerns.
However, New Hampshire Public Radio reports several Republican members of the House tested positive after attending an indoor caucus meeting earlier in the week.
Hinch, a 71-year-old Republican from Merrimack, was previously the majority leader from 2015 to 2018. His deputy will serve as the acting speaker until lawmakers vote on Hinch’s successor.
- Tucker Ives
