COVID-19 LATEST: Big jump in number of CT deaths due to delayed processing

Connecticut’s number of COVID-19-related deaths grew by a dramatic 197 today, bringing the total to 868, though Gov. Ned Lamont said that was due mainly to a large batch of data just received by the Department of Health from the Office of the Medical Examiner.

Some 170 deaths occurred over the previous two weeks, Lamont said, with the delayed reporting due in part to tracking those who had died outside of hospitals. There were also indications that the Medical Examiner”™s Office had been overwhelmed by a backlog of cases.

In addition, the state recorded another 4,302 tests for a total of 50,143, which netted another 766 positive results to bring that figure to 14,765. The state also added 129 hospitalizations, for a total of 1,908.

Partly as a result of the delayed reporting, Fairfield County added 78 deaths for a total of 365, but only another 53 hospitalizations for a total of 784.

A county-by-county breakdown includes:

Stamford still leads the state with 1,583 positive cases, followed by Bridgeport (919), Norwalk (803) and Danbury (754).

FISCALLY SPEAKING
Much of today”™s briefing centered around unemployment claims and payments. Lamont said that some 12,000 Connecticut-based applicants for the Small Business Administration”™s payroll protection program have received roughly $3 billion in loans, and said that money is still available in the program.

In addition, Department of Labor Commissioner Kurt Westby said that his department”™s backlog in processing the “tsunami” of some 350,000 unemployment claims is being solved via a combination of hiring manual claims processors ”“ which he said had quintupled over the past few weeks to roughly 100 ”“ and a “technical fix” to its system, to bypass its 40-year-old, COBOL-based system.

As a result, the Labor Department is now processing well over 30,000 claims a week ”“ as compared with less than 3,000 a week two months ago ”“ and is still increasing that number. A test of the new system tonight, which will be tasked with processing 60,000 claims will, if successful, “put a real dent in the group of claims we haven”™t processed,” Westby said.

If all goes according to plan, he said, the current four- to five-week delay should be down to about one week soon.

Westby also said that a system to process unemployment claims for the self-employed and gig workers ”“ who previously did not qualify for such benefits ”“ under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program should be available by around the end of the month.

REQUEST FOR FED HELP
Also today, the governor submitted a supplementary request with the support of Connecticut”™s Congressional delegation to the president”™s office for enhanced federal financial support toward the state”™s ongoing response to the pandemic.

Lamont is asking the federal government to authorize the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to cover 100% of the costs Connecticut has incurred to save lives and protect public health and safety, and to extend financial assistance directly to affected Connecticut residents.

Further, the governor”™s letter confirms that Trump”™s March 27 Major Disaster Declaration includes the tribal nations of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribal Nation; reiterates Connecticut”™s request for access to FEMA”™s individual assistance program, which would provide direct assistance to residents; and requests Connecticut be made eligible for the federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program should Trump authorize state”™s access to that program.

Under the currently approved Major Disaster Declaration for Connecticut, FEMA will reimburse 75% of eligible COVID-19 expenses for state and local governments, as well as the tribal nations.

The federal government previously announced its approval of 100% reimbursement for the costs associated with activation of the Connecticut National Guard, which is providing the state with support during emergency response to the pandemic.

INSURANCE AND PPE

Connecticut Insurance Department (CID) Commissioner Andrew Mais announced that front-line health care workers in Connecticut and Massachusetts may soon be eligible to receive up to $25,000 of life insurance at no cost.

The CID has expedited approval of HealthBridge, a new MassMutual life insurance product that offers no-cost, guaranteed issue policies to front-line health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new HealthBridge coverage allows health care and other workers on the front lines of the pandemic to directly enroll for a no-premium payment three-year life insurance policy with a $25,000 death benefit for issue ages 18 to 50. Workers with issue ages 51 to 60 will receive a no-cost $10,000 death benefit.

Eligible individuals must be employed at a licensed hospital, urgent care center, or with an emergency medical services provider in Connecticut or Massachusetts and have exposure to COVID-19 patients. In addition to doctors and nurses, lab technicians, custodial staff, maintenance crews, cafeteria workers, and security personnel will also be considered for coverage.

In addition, all fully-insured plan health plan members, including those with high-deductible health plans, can now receive COVID-19 testing and treatment with no out-of-pocket costs.

Some employers, especially large ones, sponsor self-funded health plans. Mais urged those employers to waive testing and treatment costs as well.

Medicaid and the Children”™s Health Insurance Program, together known as HUSKY Health in Connecticut, are also fully covering COVID-19 testing and treatment without any cost-sharing. Consumers should take note that there are some differences among commercial plans and policyholders should contact their insurer or employer to obtain additional information on important details.

On the subject of PPE (personal protective equipment), Lamont again said that there appears to be adequate supply, but that the state had been in a “just in time” situation for the past six to eight weeks and is still hoping to put together a stockpile.

“We”™re not that far ahead of the sheriff, as it were,” he said, “but we should be in a much better place in about 10 days.”

TRUMP: NAME ON CHECKS, PULLS FUNDS FROM THE WHO
While apparently willing to claim responsibility for the $2 trillion CARES Act that Congress approved last month, Trump is not ready to do the same for his perceived slowness in reacting to the COVID-19 crisis.

Trump’s name will appear on the millions of checks being sent to some 70 million Americans to counter the economic effects of the pandemic ”“ the first time that a U.S. President”™s name has appeared on any IRS disbursement. According to The Washington Post, which broke the story, IRS officials said the need to print the words ”“ not the signature of ”“ “Donald J. Trump” at the last minute will result in the delay of some checks being mailed.

The U.S. Treasury Department, which gave the order, denied that, however, with a spokesperson telling the paper, “There is absolutely no delay whatsoever.”

Meanwhile, Trump”™s interest in blaming the World Health Organization (WHO) for the initially sluggish response to the crisis has led him to pull the United States”™ funding of that organization, as he threatened last week. The global public health organization receives over $400 million a year ”“ about 10% of its budget ”“ from the U.S.

Trump accused the WHO of “severely mismanaging and covering up” the virus”™ spread, partly due to what he viewed as a “China-centric” position. “So much death has been caused by their mistakes,” he said.

Asked in mid-March if he was to blame for the lack of testing capacity in the country, Trump said, “I don”™t take responsibility at all.”

The move comes as COVID-19”™s global toll continues to rise. There are now over 2 million positive cases and more than 130,000 deaths worldwide.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pointed out that the organization “is not only fighting COVID-19. We are also working to address polio, measles, malaria, Ebola, HIV, tuberculosis, malnutrition, cancer, diabetes, mental health and many other diseases and conditions.”

While Trump”™s decision received plaudits from some Republicans like U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, the American Medical Association asked for reconsideration.

“During the worst public health crisis in a century, halting funding to the World Health Organization is a dangerous step in the wrong direction that will not make defeating COVID-19 easier,” AMA President Patrice A. Harris said.

In a letter they sent to Trump, House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-New York) and House Subcommittee on National Security Chairman Steven Lynch (D-Massachusetts) wrote: “While the WHO may have made mistakes in its response to this crisis, it was certainly not alone, and it defies logic to withhold support from the WHO at this pivotal moment ”“ at the height of a global pandemic ”“ when promoting the health of nations around the world is essential to protecting our own population and rebuilding our own economy.”

The pair added that “your attack on the global health organization can easily be seen as a deliberate but transparent effort to deflect responsibility for your own failures onto others,” adding that Trump”™s “attempt to blame the WHO for trusting China reflects an astonishing level of hypocrisy given your own fawning and widely publicized praise of President Xi Jinping and his government for their handling of this crisis.”

In her own statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) said today: “This decision is dangerous, illegal and will be swiftly challenged.

“We can only be successful in defeating this global pandemic through a coordinated international response with respect for science and data,” she continued. “But sadly, as he has since Day One, the president is ignoring global health experts, disregarding science and undermining the heroes fighting on the front line, at great risk to the lives and livelihoods of Americans and people around the world.”

TRUMP”™S “OPENING THE COUNTRY COUNCIL”
The much-anticipated unveiling of Trump’s “Opening the Country Council” that was expected yesterday is apparently on hold, as reportedly he and various senior aides, including son-in-law Jared Kushner, are instead phoning various business leaders and asking their advice.

According to reports, the list includes Apple CEO Tim Cook, JPMorgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.

Apparently, no state governors or Democratic lawmakers have been included.

As of this writing, in addition to the aforementioned global data, the U.S. has recorded nearly 633,000 positive cases and about 27,800 deaths.