Updated figures put CT COVID-19 death toll at 335; List of nursing homes with cases released

The Connecticut Department of Public Health has updated its COVID-19 data, adding another nine deaths to bring its total number of fatalities to 335.

Fairfield County still has the state”™s largest number of coronavirus incidents, with 4,417 confirmed cases, 665 hospitalizations and 155 deaths.

A county-by-county breakdown includes:

The state is also continuing to process input from people, businesses, and organizations who wish to donate personal protective equipment (PPE) for use in Connecticut”™s hospitals and long-term care facilities. To date, there have been 2,027 offers to donate items. Those offers are being processed through a collaboration between the Department of Public Health and the United Way 2-1-1 of Connecticut.

The state continues to request PPE for health care workers, first responders, and other essential workers. To donate PPE, click here to fill out an intake form.

MEDICAL SURGE PLAN FOR LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES
A partnership between the state and its long-term care facilities has been established to collaborate on a medical surge plan. The strategy includes the formation of COVID-19 recovery centers in nursing homes to accept patients who can be discharged from acute care hospitals, but are still impacted by COVID-19 infection. At least four such recovery centers will be opened in Torrington, Bridgeport, Meriden and Sharon that will make available more than 500 new beds for COVID-19 patients.

The state is also working with hospitals to ensure that more patients can be tested while they are hospitalized in order to receive the two negative COVID-19 test results 24 hours apart that are needed in order for a patient to be discharged to a general long-term care facility.

As reported last night, there are currently more than 2,000 available beds in long-term care facilities that could be occupied by patients currently hospitalized who could be discharged when they get their negative COVID-19 tests.

“Residents of long-term care facilities represent our most vulnerable population during this pandemic, as the virus can spread quickly within the enclosed environment such as a nursing home,” Department of Public Health Commissioner Renée Coleman-Mitchell said. “These new COVID-19 recovery centers will provide hundreds of new beds for COVID-19 care all over the state, and this will help to make hospital beds available to absorb the surge of hospitalizations we anticipate in the next couple of weeks.”

The state Department of Social Services and the Office of Policy and Management have determined a specific payment rate of $600 per day for the COVID-19 recovery centers, and additional payments of 10% across the board for all nursing homes in Connecticut during the course of the pandemic.

“By establishing facilities with a special focus on the care of individuals with COVID-19 and providing necessary funding, we will support the state”™s overall medical surge response,”  Social Services Commissioner Deidre Gifford said. “This recognizes the additional costs being experienced by the industry at large.”

Athena Health Care Systems is one of the first private Connecticut nursing home providers to partner with the state on the effort to open up COVID-19 recovery centers.

NURSING HOMES WITH POSITIVE CASES
The following is an up-to-date list of every nursing home in Connecticut with residents who have tested positive for COVID-19: