CT Has Infrastructure For Coronavirus Vaccine Rollout: Lamont

CONNECTICUT — Connecticut’s coronavirus vaccine distribution will be a “Herculean" effort, but Gov. Ned Lamont is confident the state can coordinate the largest vaccination program in decades.

Lamont addressed vaccine distribution, financial concerns and hospital capacity in an interview with MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle Wednesday.

Connecticut’s hospitals have enough freezer capacity to store Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine candidate, Lamont said. The vaccine has to be kept at -94 degrees Fahrenheit, much colder than the storage most doctor offices have. Moderna’s vaccine candidate can be safely stored at refrigerator temperatures for 30 days and up to 12 hours at room temperature.

Both manufacturers recently announced their vaccine candidates are more than 90 percent effective in preventing coronavirus infections.

Related: CT Coronavirus Vaccine Plan: Five Things To Know

“I think we’re going to be ready but it is a Herculean effort, you know we’ve got 3.5 million people,” Lamont said.

Lamont commissioned an advisory group to come up with Connecticut's vaccine rollout plan. The task force will also work on outreach efforts to encourage vaccine use. The state Department of Public Health has already submitted its plan to the federal government. The plan is being used as a draft for the advisory group.

Rainy day fund

Connecticut is sitting on a record $3 billion in its rainy day fund, while large budget deficits are expected in the coming years.

Lamont said Wednesday he would be willing to tap the rainy day fund for coronavirus expenses if the federal government doesn’t approve a new relief package soon.

“I’ll tell you if the federal government is going to stay asleep at the switch a little bit longer, which is a terrible choice for them, the states have got to step up,” Lamont said.

He said his priorities are to purchase personal protective equipment and bolster infrastructure tied to the coronavirus vaccine rollout.

Rising hospitalizations

Connecticut still has plenty of hospital capacity and field hospitals can be constructed within 48 hours, Lamont said. The concern is more about fatigue for health care workers as they fight through what is projected to be a long winter of coronavirus infections.

“I’ll tell you our choke point is going to be nurses and doctors, they’re stretched, they’ve been working flat out and now if we ramp up I can’t go to other states and try and find people to help them,” Lamont said.

Lamont and other nearby governors announced a regional effort to coordinate future coronavirus restrictions tied to mostly hospitalization metrics.

A total of 777 patients were hospitalized for the coronavirus in Connecticut as of Tuesday. The state hit a peak of around 2,000 patients in late April. Hospitalizations have declined since April and remained limited over the summer; they have been on a sharp upswing since late October.

Lamont chats with President-elect Biden

Lamont shared a photo on Twitter of him having a video conference with President-elect Joe Biden.

“Always a pleasure to take some time to hear from my good friend and our President-Elect @JoeBiden! Great to be an early supporter and join a call to hear more about his plans for our country, as well as his unifying vision for all of us,” Lamont tweeted.

Lamont was an early supporter of Biden for president and donated $3,000 to his campaign back in April 2019, according to the CT Mirror.

Watch Lamont’s full MSNBC interview here.