Newtown’s top Health District official is asking a favor in exchange for a promise as the agency heads into 2021 ramping up plans to connect residents with opportunities to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

“Once we get information about distribution of the vaccine locally, we will use multiple ways of communicating information to residents,” Health District Director Donna Culbert told The Newtown Bee December 29.

Culbert said she will be using a combination of municipal and media channels to push out public information about when and where qualified residents can obtain the vaccine through public health agencies so the message can reach the maximum audience. And she is asking residents to begin familiarizing themselves with and checking those sources instead of calling the health district offices.

“Our staff is limited and we’re very engaged doing our normal day to day work, as well as handling contact tracing for dozens of new virus cases we have been seeing every week — and now we’re additionally working to coordinate vaccine access,” Culbert said. “That’s why we’re pushing out as much information as fast as we can so folks don’t need to call us.”

The health official, whose agency is also handling the same responsibilities for the neighboring district communities of Bridgewater and Roxbury, said she will be using municipal websites, messaging that could include e-mails and phone calls, as well as local and regional media sources like The Newtown Bee to try and blanket the district with vaccine information as soon as it becomes available.

In the meantime, she says, “Familiarize yourself with how to sign up for or connect with these sources so you’ll be among the first to know the minute we make new information available. And if you have questions, review information already out there, especially on the town and state websites, before you pick up the phone and call. Chances are the answer to your question is already out there.”

( For municipal resources and information, start HERE — and look for additional links at the end of this report. )

As of December 29, Newtown had logged 873 positive coronavirus cases and 53 related deaths. The total of laboratory-confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases reported among Connecticut residents is 181,967, including 171,329 laboratory-confirmed and 10,638 probable cases.

At that time, 1,226 patients were hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 and the state had registered 5,924 COVID-19-associated deaths with a strong likelihood that number would surpass 6,000 by the time the new year arrives. The state did caveat its December 29 details, however, saying some daily reporting was incomplete because of “technical difficulties,” and residents could expect a more accurate report in subsequent days.

Late Monday, Lamont related that hospitals and long-term care facilities in Connecticut have reported they had administered the COVID-19 vaccine to 36,276 people. However, the actual number of people who have been administered the vaccine so far is likely higher as these facilities are still in the process of reporting their data to the state.

The Lamont administration is estimating that about two-thirds of the nursing homes in the state will have completed administration of the first dose of the vaccine to their residents and staff by the end of this coming weekend. All of the doses under this first phase of the state’s COVID-19 vaccine program are being administered to people in the healthcare workforce, as well as residents and staff of long-term care facilities.

Updated Relief Details

On Tuesday, Lamont and Connecticut Department of Labor Commissioner Kurt Westby provided an update on the Emergency Coronavirus Recovery Act of 2020, known as the CARES Act extension.

The law protects Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) programs; allocates an additional $300 per week benefit for all claimants for up to 11 weeks; extends the interest waiver for Trust Fund borrowing; and continues 100 percent federal funding for the Shared Work program.

“This legislation is vital to providing stability for both individuals and businesses in the state,” Lamont said. “Tens of thousands were at risk of losing unemployment benefits, but thanks to Connecticut’s Congressional delegation, our residents now know that help is on the way. Our state has been creative and diligent in ensuring our residents who need relief receive it, and we remain committed to getting these programs rolled out quickly. We will work with our residents and businesses to ensure they are using all the resources available to them to make it through these tough times.”

“This is much-needed relief for Connecticut’s unemployed residents,” Commissioner Westby said. “The PUA and PEUC programs alone cover 64,000 people, more than half of whom would lose benefits entirely without federal action. With the Trust Fund and Shared Work provisions, there is an eye on economic recovery as well — keeping workers attached to jobs will be critical for businesses ramping back up. I applaud Connecticut’s Congressional delegation and everyone who worked tirelessly to keep these programs running. They are a lifeline for residents and businesses in our state.”

Key components include:

For all claimants: A new Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) allocation of $300 per week for up to 11 weeks. Claimants can expect benefits by mid-January.

For around 35,000 PUA participants: An 11-week program extension for a total of 50 weeks. Program eligibility ends March 13, 2021, and last week of benefits is paid by week ending April 10, 2021, for those who have remaining weeks as of March 13, 2021. State labor agencies are waiting for official U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) guidance on details; however, USDOL has signaled these are expected to be continuous benefits for eligible claimants beginning on the day the CARES Act expired.

For around 29,000 PEUC customers: An 11-week extension to a total of 24 weeks with the last week paid by week ending April 10, 2021, for those who have remaining weeks as of March 13, 2021. Program eligibility ends March 13, 2021. Claimants who are currently receiving Extended Benefits (EB) will stay on that program until it is exhausted before potentially becoming eligible for the additional weeks of PEUC.

Trust Fund interest waiver extension until March 14, 2021. This reduces the financial liability for Connecticut companies that pay a special assessment to repay interest on Trust Fund borrowing. Currently, the state has borrowed $485 million for the Trust Fund. The agency has requested $400 million for the first quarter of 2021. This request may not reflect actual spending — weekly spending is currently above $20 million and expected to experience a seasonal increase.

Extends the 50 percent reimbursement provision for local and state government and nonprofit organizations.

Extends the 100 percent federal funding for Shared Work. Shared Work helps employers avoid layoffs by allowing them to use unemployment benefits to cover a reduction in hours. During economic downturns, employers can reduce costs but avoid layoffs. Employees stay attached to jobs and benefits even with reduced hours.

State labor agencies must wait for guidance from the US Department of Labor before implementing many new unemployment provisions. Guidance is released in the form of Unemployment Insurance Program Letters that generally come out within several weeks of changes to the law.

Since these are extensions of existing programs with operational funding structures, the Connecticut Department of Labor does not expect significant delays on the state side but cannot operationalize the provisions in the absence of federal guidance. Updates on implementation timing and program details will be released and posted to www.FileCTUI.com as they become available.

Newtown residents looking to sign up for public health and other notifications can do so by CLICKING HERE

Sign up for Newtown CODE RED alerts by CLICKING HERE

Review the latest statewide COVID-19 information and advisories by CLICKING HERE .