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December 27, 2021

Lamont: CT will distribute 3 million COVID tests, 6 million N95 masks in coming days, weeks

Photo | CT Mirror/CLOE POISSON Olga Clark of Hartford (right) gets instructions from a Hartford HealthCare worker before being tested for COVID-19 at a pop-up testing site.
By Zachary Vasile

Connecticut plans to distribute a total of three million at-home rapid COVID-19 tests and six million N95 face masks in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, which has made a major resurgence in recent weeks and could infect millions more as a result of increased travel and holiday gatherings.

In a statement released Monday, Gov. Ned Lamont said the state will distribute 500,000 iHealth kits, each containing two tests, to members of the general public starting Thursday. Lamont said the distribution effort will include the state Department of Public Health, the Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security and the Connecticut National Guard, but noted that plans to get tests into the hands of state residents “are still being finalized and are subject to change.”

Emergency management teams will also oversee the issuing of N95s, respirators that are generally considered the gold standard for consumer-grade masks.

The state has purchased another one million iHealth kits, for a total of two million tests, for Connecticut’s K-12 schools. Those tests, together with the N95 masks, will be delivered to schools starting in January. 

The total cost of the three million tests is approximately $18.5 million, which will be covered by federal funds, according to state officials.

“Connecticut is currently experiencing another surge in COVID-19 cases that is being driven mostly by the highly transmissible omicron variant,” Lamont said Monday. “As a result, the demand for tests has outpaced the supply of testing available through our statewide network of about 400 sites. The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is likely to be a period of high transmission, and we have to get 2022 off to a good start by helping residents identify COVID-19 quickly and take those steps to isolate appropriately to curb any further spread.”

Connecticut Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani said the state’s goal is to dramatically boost the number of tests available so that residents can self-isolate if they in fact test positive for COVID-19, helping to limit the spread. Juthani said members of the public should not take more tests than they will immediately need.

“Because of the scarcity of these kits, I am asking the residents of our state to please take only the kits that you need for your immediate family so that we can distribute as many as possible to help flatten the omicron curve,” she said.

Juthani also encouraged residents to limit the size of their holiday gatherings in light of the spread of the omicront variant.

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