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Governor Lamont Announces Nomination for Public Health Commissioner

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Governor Ned Lamont has announced his nomination of Dr. Manisha Juthani as commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health.

Juthani is currently an infectious diseases physician at Yale School of Medicine.

She has a background in infection control, particularly in nursing homes, according to Josh Geballe, chief operating officer for the State of Connecticut. She has been supporting DPH in its efforts to spread the word about the COVID-19 vaccine.

"I am honored to stand in front of all of you today, and it is humbling to be named the next commissioner of the Department of Public Health," Juthani said.

She discussed her experience as the COVID-19 pandemic hit and described the bravery she saw in the actions of her fellow healthcare workers.

Juthani said that vaccination is still the best way we know to combat the coronavirus and that with the delta variant spreading, now is the time to consider getting the shot if you haven't already.

"What we know though is that there is one way out of this pandemic fully, which is vaccinations and we know that vaccinations know about this delta variant," Juthani said.

Juthani will take on her new role starting Sept. 20.

Deidre Gifford has been serving as the acting Department of Public Health commissioner in the interim. Geballe thanked her for her service in that role and said she would continue with the administration in her position as commissioner of the Department of Social Services and as a senior advisor to the governor.

"With every single minute of every day of the week she has poured her heart into doing everything she possibly can to keep the people of Connecticut safe," Geballe said.

Connecticut's COVID-19 Numbers

Connecticut's COVID-19 numbers have been trending upward. On Monday, the positivity rate came in at 2.27%, with 25,920 new tests reported and 589 cases since Friday. There are currently 108 hospitalized with the virus.

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