MONROE, CT — A pop up testing site will be allow drive-thru testing for COVID-19 at Masuk High School on Tuesday, Dec. 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“This testing is free for anyone seeking a test,” First Selectman Ken Kellogg said in his update Friday. “The south gate at Masuk will open at 9:45 a.m. Please do not arrive earlier, as vehicles will not be allowed to line up on Monroe Turnpike.”
Kellogg said testing will be done on a first-come, first-served basis, because the state vendor is unable to schedule appointments for this event.
“This is a PCR test done by a nasal swab,” he said. “Testing will be conducted by a state testing vendor and results returned to you directly in two-to-three days through a patient portal.”
Information and FAQs are posted on the town’s website.
The coronavirus continues its rapid spread throughout the state. Kellogg said the number of Connecticut towns in the state health department’s red category has risen to 160.
“Yesterday’s statewide case positivity rate was over seven percent,” he said. “DPH currently reports Monroe’s total cases at 453 confirmed and 35 probable.”
But there is some good news. Monroe’s two-week case rate dropped slightly, averaging just under seven cases per day, or 34.9 cases per 100,000 population, according to Kellogg.
Revised quarantine rules
Revised CDC guidelines now allow for quarantine of exposed individuals without symptoms to end on day 10, or on day seven with a negative PCR test taken after day five.
Vaccination
“We are anxiously awaiting the FDA approval on the vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna,” Kellogg said. “While pending this approval and subject to change, the governor has projected that the first vaccines may be delivered to Connecticut as early as the week of December 14th for healthcare workers, medical first responders, and residents of long-term care facilities.”
The first selectman said it is anticipated that the priority groups will begin expanding in January, until the vaccine is available to everyone, adding his hope it will be by the spring.
“More details will be coming as federal and state advisory committees continue to evaluate vaccine supply, distribution, and demand,” Kellogg said.
