Conn. Has Now Distributed 3.6M Covid Test Kits This Month

The State of Connecticut has now distributed 3.6 million COVID-19 test kits to partner organizations this month, according to Governor Ned Lamont.

This week, Lamont said the state distributed 500,000 more COVID-19 test kits, which brings the total amount this month to 3.6 million.

Although the state's Covid-19 positivity rate is starting to decline, the need for at -home testing kits remains important. Many believe now is the time to think about at home testing accessibility.

Some of the deliveries for the week of January 17 included:

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350,000 test kits to municipalities for social services and vulnerable populations, K-12 students and teachers, first responders and other front-facing municipal employees and non-licensed childcare programs
83,000 test kits to community groups and vulnerable populations
50,000 test kits to nursing homes for visitor testing

Dr. Anne Wyllie from the Yale School of Public Health talked about new research showing that saliva tests might be more effective at detecting the Omicron variant.

Since December 31, 2021, the state has delivered the following tests:

1,350,000 to municipalities
1,420,000 to K-12 students and teachers
164,000 to early childhood providers
217,000 to state employees/PNPs
158,000 to faith-based organizations
49,000 to residents and clients of congregate settings
37,000 to Foodshare
22,000 to homebound individuals
11,000 to K-12 bus drivers
5,000 to the Center for Disability Rights
6,000 to undocumented residents
9,000 to seasonal farm workers
15,000 to the incarcerated population
13,000 to public college and university students
50,000 to nursing home visitation
20,000 to the Coalition Against Domestic Violence
3,000 to Hartford Communities That Care
4,000 to LGBTQ Communities
13,000 to Spanish American Merchants
1,000 to Malta House of Care
4,000 to community re-entry programs
20,000 to hospitality workers and community organizations

According to Lamont, the state has been working to get the test kits from vendors and then they get distributed in bulk to partner organizations. Those partner organizations then go on to provide them to clients and members of the community.