Newtown Health District Director Donna Culbert is joining counterparts across the state and country strongly advising against holding or attending Super Bowl parties on game day, February 7. After overseeing what will have been her fifth COVID-19 vaccination clinic by Saturday, the health official told The Newtown Bee she is hoping everyone will follow her example by gathering only with immediate family or household members.

“I’d hate to see a Super Bowl party turn into a super spreader event,” Culbert said. “I’m planning to enjoy the game, but it will just be my husband and me this year and I hope everyone follows that lead.”

Culbert said she is hearing that “winter fatigue is piling on top of COVID fatigue,” and is encouraging people to continue to stay strong, be vigilant, play it safe, and follow the most successful “mask, disinfect, and distance” behaviors even though Super Bowl is built around “a lot of people getting together, partying, sharing dishes, laughing, yelling — all those things that help spread the virus.”

At the same time, Culbert is seeing an increasing number of Newtown’s most vulnerable residents finally getting the ultimate protection they need in the form of COVID-19 vaccines. Newtown’s first two vaccination clinics inoculated a total of 170 residents over age 75 on January 29 and 30; the next series of clinics at the Senior Center was scheduled for February 4, 5, and 6.

All of the clinics are pre-booked and full, the health director said, so residents should not just show up. Anyone with an appointment who does not appear as scheduled will see their vaccine distributed to the next registered and qualified resident on a back-up call list.

First Selectman Dan Rosenthal told the Board of Selectmen and Legislative Council at meetings this week that local school nurses and others from Ridgefield VNA helped deliver the town’s allocation of 170 shots during the first two clinics. He said this week’s series will see another 100 vaccines dispensed Thursday, along with 60 each on Friday and Saturday.

“We’re working through system,” Rosenthal told council members, estimating that by Saturday, 7.5 percent of Newtown’s total population will have gotten vaccinated.

“I think we’re probably pushing 60 percent by now,” he said of residents over age 75 who are qualified to get the shot.

The first selectman said he believes the state will begin expanding eligibility soon. Reflecting on Newtown’s first clinic, he said medical staff handled about 18 people an hour over the six-hour session.

“I don’t think it was overwhelming,” he said, noting the pace was relaxed enough so those who needed extra time did not feel rushed. He said the slow buildup of capacity provided clinic organizers “the ability to observe so we can scale it when we have to.”

Regarding leftover doses reserved for the few no-shows, the first selectman said “people were thrilled to be called next on the list,” and came right down for their vaccines.

While the community is slowly beginning to build defenses against the virus and its variants through vaccinations, the state reported that Newtown had logged 1,377 positive virus cases by February 3, and had registered its 60th virus-related death.

That same day, the total of COVID-19 cases reported among Connecticut residents was 257,004, including 241,353 laboratory-confirmed and 15,651 probable cases; 874 patients were hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 at that time, and the state had registered 7,157 COVID-19-associated deaths.

Expanding Virtual DMV

On February 3, Governor Ned Lamont announced the launch of new services at the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) that will enable residents to renew their driver’s licenses and non-driver ID cards online without having to visit an office in-person, further minimizing in-person interactions that could transmit the virus.

The new virtual service is part of Lamont’s broader initiative to modernize state government and add more convenience for residents by making services available online. The DMV’s new online renewal option has already been offered to residents whose driver’s license or non-driver ID expired within the last 45 days.

As part of the soft launch of the new service during the last two months, more than 20,000 individuals have already successfully renewed online.

Eligible residents will receive an invitation by postal mail or e-mail to complete their transaction online and make an electronic payment via credit or debit card. Upon successful completion of the online renewal, the license or non-driver ID will be received by mail within 20 days.

“The DMV’s accomplishments in announcing this new service are just one part of our broader efforts to be more accessible to our residents, and it became clearer how important that was during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Lamont said. “The DMV rose to the occasion and moved forward quickly to launch online renewal and implement other services, including appointment scheduling, to make sure we not only kept our residents safe but continued our work to modernize state government.”

“Governor Lamont’s priority from day one has been to make interacting with government faster, easier, and more accessible,” Chief Operating Officer and Department of Administrative Services Commissioner Josh Geballe said. “You shouldn’t need to take time off work and wait in line to do business with the state, particularly for transactions as widespread as renewing a driver’s license. This step forward is key to helping our great state modernize our operations to better serve our residents.”

“Like many organizations, COVID has created challenges for the DMV, but we have continued to do everything we can to keep both our customers and workers safe,” DMV Commissioner Sibongile Magubane said. “Our focus remains on modernizing our services and processes so we can better serve the residents of Connecticut by moving services online, reducing wait times, and providing top tier customer service.”

“DMV’s former service delivery model was centered on an in-person, brick-and-mortar model,” DMV Deputy Commissioner Tony Guerrera said. “Governor Lamont’s effort to move our residents online instead of in-line has accelerated our plans to make sure that government, particularly the DMV, provides a platform for quick and easy online transactions.”

The department’s efforts to modernize and expand online services to allow more credential holders in the state to safely and securely apply, renew, reinstate, and pay for credentials more efficiently became more critical during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, it moved to an appointment-only system, which helped reduce wait times and kept residents safe.

The DMV has also launched two new services with the goal of making it easier for commercial driver’s license holders to complete DMV transactions more easily online and via mobile devices.

The Commercial Vehicle Operations (CVO) Portal serves as a one-stop shop for trucking companies to complete transactions. In addition, the Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Medical Certificate Portal gives carrier industry drivers the option of electronically sending their medical certificates directly to the DMV’s Driver Services Division from their mobile device.

All of the DMV’s services can be found online at ct.gov/dmv.

Murphy Supporting Production

Connecticut US Senator Chris Murphy and Senate colleague Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) have introduced legislation to provide a $10 billion investment in rapidly expanding the domestic manufacturing for pandemic supplies. This funding will support President Biden’s executive action and his American Rescue Plan to fully utilize the Defense Production Act (DPA) to accelerate manufacturing and delivery of medical equipment and supplies needed for our COVID-19 response.

“We are in the middle of a national emergency, and we need all hands on deck to get ahead of COVID-19. The Executive Order recently signed by President Biden to invoke the Defense Production Act was a vital step, but it can only go so far without the proper funding. That’s where Congress comes in,” said Murphy. “I’m glad to team up with Senator Baldwin to introduce legislation that would secure $10 billion to expand domestic manufacturing capacity for medical supplies and other critical materials, so we can get health care providers and communities what they need to care for COVID-19 patients and distribute vaccines in a safe and efficient way.”

Baldwin added that the nation needs to unlock the full power of the Defense Production Act to scale up production of made-in-America personal protective equipment and medical supplies.

The country continues to experience supply chain issues that are having dangerous impacts on the nation’s response to COVID-19, as well as the nation’s ability to scale up vaccine production, distribution, and administration. President Biden’s American Rescue Plan also calls for $10 billion in funding to expand domestic manufacturing for pandemic supplies.

Murphy and Baldwin recently led their colleagues in supporting President Biden’s use of executive action to utilize all authorities under the DPA that will help deploy a more functional response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On January 21, President Biden signed an executive order to take immediate action to fill supply shortfalls for vaccination supplies, testing supplies, and personal protective equipment, and to ensure that these critical supplies equitably reach American communities, especially communities of color and other underserved communities. Biden’s order also directed relevant agencies to exercise all appropriate authorities, including the DPA, to accelerate manufacturing, delivery, and administration to meet shortfalls in equipment and supplies needed for the COVID-19 response, to include what is necessary to support a transparent and equitable national vaccination plan.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Murphy and Baldwin have been calling for the full activation of the DPA to ramp up American production of testing supplies, personal protective equipment, and medical equipment. Last year, they introduced the Medical Supply Transparency and Delivery Act, which would have required former President Trump to utilize all available authorities under the Defense Production Act to mobilize a federal response to the pandemic through an equitable and transparent process.