The same population that Governor Ned Lamont told to stay home yesterday — even from their jobs — is the same group that needs the highest level of coronavirus insulation. From Newtown, to Seattle, to the Lombardy Region of Italy, COVID-19 is primarily killing folks old enough to be grandparents.

Newtown's top public health official on May 12 told The Newtown Bee that none of the now 17 deaths she has registered have been under the age of 60. "And only four under 75," said Donna Culbert, health district director.

Across Fairfield County and Connecticut, with one of the highest COVID mortality rates in the nation at 3,041 by May 12, the disparity between those who are age 60 and over and dying and even the next highest risk category is shocking.

While the number of COVID cases spikes among those ages 50-59, when pivoting to related deaths, all the age categories flatten until those ages 60-69. Then fatalities nearly double, from 380 up to 668, among those ages 70-79.

But then the count almost triples, hitting those over age 80 hard, with 1,798 state residents lost to the coronavirus.

Those numbers and multipliers are relatively similar across the country and around the globe. That point has not been lost on state government leaders or health officials who are increasingly focusing on protecting Connecticut residents who are age 60 and over.

In his discussion of plans to begin reopening some state businesses and sites May 20, the governor repeatedly indicated folks over 60 should continue to stay home and self isolate, even if it means not returning to work at one of those reopening locations.

At his daily press briefing Tuesday, Lamont brought back Yale New Haven Health (YNHH) CEO Marna Borgstrom, who joined state COO Josh Geballe in talking about how the state is ramping up widespread testing, particularly in nursing homes.

Borgstrom added that YNHH, which was previously limited by lack of re-agents, swabs, and equipment unique to COVID-19 testing, is now fortified through a state coop acquisition partnership. YNHH will be completing 5,000 tests a day by June 1, she said, and will be up to 20,000 per day by summer.

Lamont said he took a test with the results still out. The governor said he is leading by example and it is up to everyone to protect the members of their household by getting tested, even if the results could force individuals into quarantine.

In Newtown on Thursday, May 14, between 9 am and 1 pm, residents will — without a prescription or referral — be able to make an appointment and drive to the PhysicianOne office at 266 South Main Street to get tested if they are exhibiting symptoms of the coronavirus.

Tests are limited for this program and will be administered while they last. Drive-up patients without a prior evaluation will be checked for symptoms in order to be qualified for testing.

A photo ID will also be requested, and patients do not need to be current patients of PhysicianOne Urgent Care but must complete registration before Tuesday, May 12, at 8 pm. Patients can register for testing by CLICKING HERE

As of May 11 at 8:30 pm, a total of 34,333 cases of COVID-19 have been reported among Connecticut residents with 1,189 patients currently hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19.

Culbert said her positive case count is at 147, but one of those cases was reported along with the news that the same resident had since died.

Gifford Acting Commissioner At DPH

In a high profile staff shift Tuesday, Lamont appointed Department of Social Services Commissioner Deidre Gifford to serve as acting commissioner of the Department of Public Health. During his press briefing later in the day, Lamont's Chief of Staff Paul Mounds said the governor "decided to go in a different direction," and wished departing Renée Coleman-Mitchell "all the best."

The governor also thanked Coleman-Mitchell for her service to the state, noting she first joined the Department of Public Health in 1986, serving in several roles until 1994, and returned to the agency in the spring of 2019 to serve as commissioner.

“I appreciate Commissioner Coleman-Mitchell’s willingness to join my administration and lead one of our most vital state agencies, which is responsible for overseeing so many critical public health needs,” Lamont said.

“Her service over the last year has been a great deal of help, particularly in the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic that has brought disruption to many throughout the world. I thank her for her advocacy on behalf of the health and safety of our residents, and for being a dedicated partner in service to the State of Connecticut,” he added.

Prior to joining the Department of Social Services, from 2016 to 2019 new Acting Commissioner Gifford served as deputy director for the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Washington, D.C., where she oversaw the full scope of Medicaid functions at the federal agency.

From 2012 to 2015, she served as Medicaid Director in the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services, and from 2005 to 2011 she was co-founder and project director of Rhode Island’s multi-payer Medical Home demonstration.

Commissioner Gifford earned a BS in public health from UCLA, an MD from Cornell University Medical College in New York, and completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology and received an MPH in epidemiology at UCLA.

Over the course of her career, she has held faculty appointments at the UCLA and Brown Schools of Public Health.

“The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has required every state agency to even more closely align with each other and sync our operations to deliver a coordinated response for the people of Connecticut. I am determined to continue these efforts for the duration of our emergency response and beyond,” Commissioner Gifford said.

PPE Arrives From China

Lamont also announced on Tuesday that the State of Connecticut has received its single largest shipment of personal protective equipment from suppliers in China. It includes 6 million surgical masks, 500,000 protective masks, 100,000 surgical gowns, and 100,000 temporal thermometers.

The equipment is in the process of being sorted and will be delivered in the coming days to frontline workers, including first responders, hospital staff, longterm care facility staff, direct care providers, and others.

Lamont personally thanked the Chinese people and the China Construction Bank for helping facilitate the PPE shipment, "and for their generous donation. Further cooperation and collaboration between the United States and China is very important as we navigate this global pandemic.”

The state’s supply of PPE has been managed by the state’s unified command structure, which includes several state agencies, and its distribution has been handled by the Connecticut National Guard. As of May 11, the state has delivered a total of 15,186,349 pieces of PPE to frontline workers

Late Monday, Lamont signed his 39th Executive Order — No. 7LL — which enacts the following provision:

Modifications to the petitioning process for the August primary: Makes modifications to the existing statutory petitioning process for minor parties, unaffiliated petitioning candidates, and major party candidates who fail to receive 15 percent at a major party district convention and wish to run in the August primary as follows:

*Reduces by 30 percent the number of signatures required;

*Extends the deadline for submission of petitions by two days; and

*Permits an individual to sign and mail or e-mail to a candidate a petition containing only that individual’s signature, provided the individual makes all the required representations and attestations under penalty of false statement.

Also late Monday, US Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal called on the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to immediately work to ensure SNAP participants can receive home food delivery and curbside pickup during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the letter to USDA, the senators wrote, “Social distancing guidelines and stay at home orders have made it challenging — and unsafe — for many individuals to travel to purchase food. This is especially true for seniors and immunocompromised individuals who are at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19, as well as individuals with disabilities and families who lack reliable transportation. We believe that no individual or family should be disadvantaged simply because they rely on SNAP benefits to access the food they need.”

USDA’s SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot makes it possible for SNAP participants to purchase grocery deliveries, but its availability remains limited to the states and retailers who have opted in to the program. In addition to expanding the Online Purchasing Pilot, the Senators urged USDA to answer key questions and to maximize the alternative mechanisms that exist to facilitate delivery for SNAP participants.

Anyone in crisis or facing issues making ends meet or experiencing stress or anxiety can also call the 211 infoline or consult its companion website 211ct.org.

For the most up-to-date information from the State of Connecticut on COVID-19, including an FAQ, other guidance and resources, and a way to ask questions, Newtown residents are encouraged to visit ct.gov/coronavirus.

The Newtown Bee is continuing to provide and mirror information and messages coming from local and state agencies on a daily and sometimes hourly basis. Newtown residents can get more details by visiting Newtown’s own COVID-19 web page, at newtown-ct.gov.

Residents can also review all prior COVID-19 updates and follow the newspaper’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages for breaking local news and advisories.

Please check in regularly, share, and follow the newspaper’s hyperlocal coverage at newtownbee.com through the remainder of this public health emergency.