Lori Mack

Connecticut's largest COVID-19 vaccination site in East Hartford is up and running. Pratt & Whitney's old runway has been converted into a 10-lane drive-thru clinic. The Community Health Center is hoping to administer between 7,000 and 10,000 vaccinations a week. Officials say the Pfizer vaccine will be available by appointment only to qualified residents, which currently include frontline health care workers, first responders and people 75 and over.

Lieutenant governors in Connecticut and Rhode Island are quarantining after potential COVID-19 exposures. Connecticut Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz is self-isolating after a member of her staff tested positive for the virus. Bysiewicz, who was in close contact with the person, tested negative Thursday.

Some New Haven public school students will return to their physical classrooms later this month for the first time since last spring. The city's superintendent of schools announced on the district website that officials are preparing for "a limited return of students to a hybrid learning model" starting Jan. 19.

Another Connecticut inmate has died from complications related to the coronavirus. The Department of Correction said in a press release the 69-year-old male had been transferred from the agency’s MacDougall-Walker Medical Unit to an outside hospital for treatment December 21, where he died Saturday morning. The man is the 14th inmate to die of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

Connecticut continues phase 1A of its COVID -19 vaccine roll-out. Many health care workers are scheduled to get their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine Monday. Meanwhile, about 200 nursing homes in the state are preparing to get their first round by the end of the week. Gov. Ned Lamont has said the state’s on track to finish vaccinating about 22,000 nursing home residents and an estimated 210,000 health care workers by the end of the month.

Longtime Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton is expected to become Connecticut’s next tax commissioner. Boughton, a three-time Republican candidate for governor, is the longest serving mayor of Danbury. In his most recent bid, he proposed phasing out the state’s income tax. Governor Ned Lamont’s selection was praised by Democratic Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff who issued a joint statement last night.

Governor Ned Lamont’s deputy communications director has tested positive for COVID-19. Rob Blanchard said in a Tweet Sunday that he's quarantining for the next two weeks and cooperating with public health officials in the contact tracing process.

My statement regarding a recent positive test for #COVID19: pic.twitter.com/kh4K39ilwW

Foxwoods Resort Casino says it will temporarily lay off 130 employees and close some of its hotels and gaming areas due to the ongoing pandemic. Foxwoods officials say heightened spread of COVID-19 and state restrictions have spurred a “significant” reduction in volume at the casino. The Day reports that the casino hopes to rehire furloughed workers — including support staff members — after New Year's.

Governor Ned Lamont has received a letter signed by 35 Connecticut doctors and a nurse urging him to close gyms and pause indoor dining to prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed as coronavirus cases surge. But Lamont says hospital capacity is currently adequate and field hospitals can be set up quickly if needed. Health officials say 71 percent of the state's hospital beds are now occupied.

Senator Richard Blumenthal will be calling on Congress Monday to provide relief to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to prevent cuts to Metro-North. The MTA is asking for a $12 billion federal bailout. Without it, train service could be cut by half, including on the New Haven line. Ridership on Metro-North is down by about 80 percent because of the pandemic.

Connecticut is nearing 5,000 coronavirus-related deaths. In the latest numbers released Friday, 35 more deaths were reported over the last two days. Meanwhile, the number of Connecticut residents hospitalized with COVID-19 has topped 1,000, the first time it's been that high since mid-May. The latest data released also showed the number of nursing home residents who've been infected since the pandemic began topped 10,000.

Governor Ned Lamont is calling Connecticut’s latest COVID numbers "disturbing." The state reported 21 new coronavirus-linked deaths yesterday. Meanwhile, 96 percent of the state's towns and cities are under a red alert for COVID cases. The positivity rate stands at 6.5 percent. In response, Lamont has put a pause on all club and team sports beginning Monday until mid-January. Officials say too many COVID cases have been linked to athletics.

Connecticut's U.S. senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy are both self-isolating after a member of the governor's staff tested positive for COVID-19. Gov. Ned Lamont and several top members of his administration are also quarantining after his chief spokesperson Max Reiss tested positive for the virus. The news came late Friday following a press conference that included the governor, lieutenant governor and both U.S. Senators.

The unions representing Connecticut correctional employees are urging the Department of Correction to temporarily suspend in-person visits at facilities throughout the state. The unions representing more than 5,000 DOC employees say they’d like to figure out a better visitation system that limits the number of people in one room as COVID-19 cases continue to rise. The unions are also asking for additional COVID testing hours to ensure adequate time for mandatory testing of staff.

California, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania have been added to the state’s travel advisory list. That brings the total number of states and territories considered hot spots for the virus to 42. 

Students in Danbury will not return to the classroom today. The city, which is on Connecticut's "red alert" list, is postponing in-person learning as the number of coronavirus cases continues to climb. Danbury schools aren't the only ones still being impacted by the coronavirus. It's led to a continuation in virtual learning at schools in Montville, Southington and Waterbury.

Yale University is shutting down all varsity athletic activities until at least next Wednesday following a cluster of Covid-19 cases. The Yale Daily News reports six members of the Yale men’s hockey team have tested positive for the virus. The University’s COVID-19 coordinator informed students of the outbreak in an email Tuesday night.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health is investigating COVID-19 outbreaks at two assisted living facilities in Avon. At least one person has died and about 50 others are infected with the virus. Health officials tell the Hartford Courant they believe a resident who tested positive at The Residence at Brookside may have spread it to Avon Health Care through two health care workers employed at both facilities.

Waterbury Mayor Neil M. O’Leary and his wife Kathy have tested positive for COVID-19. The Waterbury Republican American reports the O’Learys received confirmation of their infections yesterday and are quarantining at home. It was announced earlier this week that the mayor's aide and the city’s police chief also tested positive for the virus. The high-profile cases are among a recent general uptick in the city's infection rate.

The Department of Justice is suing Yale University for allegedly discriminating against Asian and white students in its college admissions process. The lawsuit filed yesterday accuses Yale of violating federal civil rights laws by making admission decisions based on a candidate’s race. This follows an earlier investigation by the Justice Department, which claimed that Asian American and white students have one-tenth to one-fourth the likelihood of admission as African Americans with the same credentials. Yale has denied the allegations, calling them meritless and hasty.

Senator Richard Blumenthal is planning to be tested for COVID-19 this afternoon at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, which is offering drive-through testing without a physician’s order. Blumenthal’s urging residents to do the same as the state begins its Phase three reopening today. He’s also demanding that all senators and staff participating in the confirmation hearing of Judge Amy Coney Barrett be tested for the virus. The Judiciary Committee is scheduled to begin hearings Monday on the president's Supreme Court nominee.