Press Releases

02/15/2022

Governor Lamont Provides Update on Connecticut’s Coronavirus Response Efforts

Latest Data as of 3:00PM on Tuesday, February 15, 2022

(HARTFORD, CT) – As the State of Connecticut continues taking actions in response to the global spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Governor Ned Lamont provided the following updates as of 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 15, 2022:

Data updates on testing in Connecticut

The following is a summary of the day-to-day newly reported data on cases and tests in Connecticut. It is important to note that these newly reported updates include data that occurred over the last several days to a week. All data in this report are preliminary, and data for previous dates will be updated as new reports are received and data errors are corrected.

*The “total” column includes a batch of catch-up tests that date back to September 1, 2021. This includes 3,071 tests administered that resulted in 574 positive cases. This batch of catch-up data has no impact on the data shown in the “change since yesterday” column, including the daily positivity rate.

Of the 385 patients currently hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, 173 (44.9%) are not fully vaccinated.

For the week beginning January 30, 2022, unvaccinated persons had a 3.1x greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19 compared to fully vaccinated persons.

For the week beginning January 30, 2022, unvaccinated persons had a 15.2x greater risk of dying from COVID-19 compared to fully vaccinated persons.

Data on COVID-19 associated deaths is updated once per week every Thursday. The most recently reported total number of deaths is 10,219.

County-by-county breakdown of current COVID-19 hospitalizations:

For a series of interactive graphs and maps that provide additional data, including metrics related to age, gender, and race/ethnicity, as well as data broken down by every town and city in Connecticut, visit ct.gov/coronavirus and click the link that is labeled, “Data Tracker.”

Connecticut’s SNAP-eligible households to receive additional emergency food benefits February 18

The Connecticut Department of Social Services today announced that it will deliver nearly $32.7 million in Emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to over 212,000 Connecticut households on Friday, February 18, 2022. Monthly allocations of emergency SNAP benefits are going to all enrolled households, based on continuance of a declared public health emergency related to COVID-19 in Connecticut.

Authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020, this federal allocation will provide a minimum of $95 in extra food aid to all enrolled families and individuals, raising the state’s total emergency SNAP funding to over $608.4 million since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Specifically:

• All 212,000 SNAP-eligible households statewide will receive the emergency benefits on their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards on February 18, 2022.
• Households already eligible for the maximum monthly SNAP benefit will receive an extra $95.
• The remaining households that don’t usually qualify for the maximum monthly SNAP benefit because of income or other factors will receive extra benefits of at least $95 but averaging an estimated $155.03 (depending on their specific benefit situation).
• With this additional $32.7 million allocation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, emergency benefits are totaling over $608.4 million in additional SNAP assistance statewide over 22 months, with commensurate spending at supermarkets, groceries, farmers markets, and other food retailers.
• The $95 increase results from President Biden’s January 22, 2021, executive order, which required the USDA to consider new guidance allowing states to increase SNAP emergency benefit allocations for all households, including those previously ineligible to receive it.
• All households also received their normal SNAP benefits, based on the new Thrifty Food Plan amounts, on one of the first three days of the month as they normally do, according to last name.
• If a household is granted regular SNAP benefits on or after Monday, February 14, the additional SNAP benefits will be added to the EBT card on a Friday, depending on the date of granting.

For additional information about SNAP, visit www.ct.gov/snap.

Providing information to Connecticut residents

For the most up-to-date information from the State of Connecticut on COVID-19, residents are encouraged to visit ct.gov/coronavirus. Residents can also subscribe to text message alerts from the state by texting the keyword COVIDCT to 888-777.

Individuals who have general questions that are not answered on the website can call 2-1-1 for assistance. The hotline is available 24 hours a day and has multilingual assistance. Anyone who is out-of-state or requires a toll-free number can connect to Connecticut 2-1-1 by dialing 1-800-203-1234. This is intended to be used by individuals who are not experiencing symptoms but may have general questions related to COVID-19. Anyone who is experiencing symptoms are strongly urged to contact their medical provider.

Twitter: @GovNedLamont

Facebook: Office of Governor Ned Lamont