(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 Thursday, December 1, 2022:

Data updates on testing in Connecticut

The following is a summary of newly reported data on COVID-19 in Connecticut from the past 7 days.

To read the full data report, visit data.ct.gov/coronavirus and click the button labeled, “Data Report.” That website also contains several other data reports, including on the topics of vaccinations, schools, nursing homes, child care, congregate settings, and economic impact.

Data updates on vaccine administration in Connecticut

The following data was reported to the CT WiZ immunization information system as of November 29, 2022.

Total number of people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19:

Percent of people with at least one dose by age group:

• >95% of those 65+
• >95% of those between 55-64
• 92% of those between 45-54
• 91% of those between 35-44
• 88% of those between 25-34
• 85% of those between 15-24
• 73% of those between 10-14
• 51% of those between 5-9
• 13% of those between 0-4

To locate a vaccination clinic in Connecticut, visit ct.gov/covidvaccine.

Data updates on breakthrough cases in Connecticut

The Connecticut Department of Public Health is reporting that as of November 23, 2022, a total of 297,517 cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated persons in Connecticut have been identified. Those cases account for 10.71.97% of the nearly 2.8 million people in the state who are fully vaccinated.

For more data on breakthrough cases in Connecticut, see pages 5 and 6 of this week’s extended COVID-19 data report.

Data updates on variants in Connecticut

The following data contains the cumulative number of SARS-CoV-2 variants that have been identified among Connecticut residents as of today:

• Omicron: 28,522 cases
• Delta: 17,235 cases
• Alpha: 2,525 cases
• Iota: 1,083 cases
• Other: 1,077 cases
• Gamma: 137 cases
• Mu: 84 cases
• Epsilon: 60 cases
• Lambda: 38 cases
• Beta: 23 cases
• Eta: 10 cases
• Kappa: 2 cases
• Zeta: 1 case

For more information on variants, see pages 7 and 8 of this week’s extended COVID-19 data report.

Pandemic EBT child care program bringing extra food benefits to families of 39,865 young children in Connecticut on December 4

The Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS), in consultation with the Connecticut State Department of Education and Office of Early Childhood, today announced that $15.5 million in special food assistance benefits are scheduled to be distributed Sunday, December 4, 2022, to the families of 39,865 children under age 6 who are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

This is the last major distribution in the current round of $145.8 million in food benefits going to nearly 282,900 schoolchildren, and 39,865 children under age 6 in child care through the federal Pandemic EBT (or P-EBT) program covering the 2021-2022 school year and subsequent summer period.

Specifically:

• DSS expects to deposit benefits onto existing SNAP Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards by 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 4, 2022, to nearly 31,450 households (39,865 eligible children) who were under age 6 and receiving SNAP benefits from DSS between July 1, 2022, and August 31, 2022, unless the child already received Summer Pandemic EBT Children in School benefits by being eligible for the free or reduced-price meals program at their school.
• The distribution will include benefits deposited onto existing SNAP Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards of SNAP-eligible households who welcomed a child born in either July or August 2022.
• The planned one-time additional benefit is $391 per child.
• DSS has already deposited benefits totaling $111.9 million dollars to 282,900 schoolchildren eligible who received free and reduced-priced meals at their school as of the end of the 2021-2022 school year on October 31, 2022, and November 7, 2022.
• Families do not need to apply for P-EBT benefits, as DSS uses SNAP eligibility information to determine if children are eligible for P-EBT Child Care benefits.

Benefits can be used at any location that accepts SNAP/EBT cards. This includes famers markets and direct market farms.

P-EBT participants also have online access to eligible food purchases through delivery or curbside pickup at participating retailers ACME, Amazon, ALDI and Price Chopper/Market 32 via Instacart, Big Y, BJ’s Wholesale Clubs, Food Bazaar, Geissler’s Supermarket, Price Rite, Sam’s Club Scan & Go, ShopRite, Stop and Shop, Target, Walmart, and Whole Foods. Additional information on that is available at www.ct.gov/snap.

Food budgets can be stretched further with WIC. Households with kids under age 5, new parents, and pregnant or breastfeeding women may be eligible to receive healthy foods, free nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and referrals to helpful resources. To apply or learn more, visit portal.ct.gov/DPH/WIC/WIC.

All children up to 5 years of age receiving SNAP benefits are also eligible for FREE Head Start/Early Head Start programming. Head Start provides programs that develop early learning skills, healthy lifestyles, language and literacy skills, and other academic needs. Visit eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/programs/article/head-start-programs or contact [email protected] for more information on this free program and how to enroll.

DSS received information from the Office of Early Childhood and the State Department of Education to implement the P-EBT Child Care plan, which was approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service. The P-EBT Child Care SNAP funding was authorized by the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act, with additional amendments made in the Continuing Appropriations Act and Other Extensions Act of 2021, as well as the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.

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.