COVID-19 LATEST: Fairfield County nearing 100 deaths; Fed officials warn of ‘hardest week’ ahead

Fairfield County is closing in on 100 deaths related to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the statewide total now at 189.

According to the latest data from the Connecticut Department of Public Health, out of 23,270 total tests, 5,675 persons have tested positive, and 1,142 are now hospitalized.

Fairfield County recorded another 10 deaths since yesterday, bringing its total to 96. The county has 3,050 confirmed coronavirus cases.

A county-by-county breakdown includes:

Gov. Ned Lamont today signed Executive Order No. 7U, which enacts the following provisions:

• Protection from civil liability for actions or omissions in support of the state”™s COVID-19 response: Protects health care professionals and health care facilities, including nursing homes and field hospitals, from lawsuits for acts or omissions undertaken in good faith in support of the state”™s COVID-19 response. State statutes already provide similar protections for other first responders, including police, firefighters and EMS.

• Financial protections for the uninsured and people covered by insurance who receive out-of-network health care services during the public health emergency: Protects those who are uninsured and those who are insured and are treated by an out-of-network emergency services health care provider from surprise bills and other significant costs. This will ensure that individuals receiving care are not being financially burdened.

As previously reported, Access Health CT ”“ Connecticut”™s health insurance marketplace ”“ is continuing to enroll uninsured residents in health plans under a new special enrollment period that was created due to the exceptional circumstances surrounding the pandemic. The special enrollment period has been extended to April 17.

To date, AHCT has processed 3,530 enrollments into qualified health plans during the special enrollment period, in addition to 15,518 HUSKY enrollments during the same period.

“HARDEST AND SADDEST WEEK” AHEAD
A pair of the nation”™s leading health authorities today painted a grim picture for the coming week.

Appearing on CBS”™ “Face the Nation” this morning, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that the rate of new cases will likely get worse before it gets better.

The effects of mitigation efforts such as social distancing will probably not be evident for “days, if not weeks,” Fauci said, adding that while the rate of new cases could flatten within the week, there is a “bad week” ahead.

“As the cases go down, then you get less hospitalizations, less intensive care and less death,” he said. Even with ” the number of new cases are starting to flatten, the deaths will lag by, you know, one or two weeks or more.”

“We are struggling to get it under control,” Fauci said.

He also cautioned that, “Unless we get this globally under control, there”™s a very good chance that it will assume a seasonal nature,” and possibly resume next flu season.

Meanwhile, on “Fox News Sunday,” U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said the country should prepare for “the hardest and the saddest week of most Americans”™ lives.”

“This is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment, our 9/11 moment, only it”™s not going to be localized. It”™s going to be happening all over the country. And I want America to understand that,” Adams said.

As of this writing, there were over 331,000 positive cases and more than 9,400 virus-related deaths in the U.S., and about 1.26 million positive cases and nearly 68,500 deaths globally.