West Haven Behind Average in Vaccinations

Feb 4, 2021   Data released by the state government shows the percent of West Haven residents 75 and older are somewhat behind the average for the state as a whole.  35.2% of the 75 and older group has gotten a first dose of the Covid vaccine in West Haven compared to 43% for the state as a whole.  The rate is very close to what residents of New Haven have and significantly less than Orange with its rate of almost 57%.   See the rates for each Connecticut town here.

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Oct 15.  The official State of Connecticut "Data Tracker" lists West Haven as having so far 1270 confirmed or probable cases and 72 deaths.  13,006 people have been tested.  We've been unsuccessful so far in finding out from the West Haven Health Department when the last death occurred.  It's also not clear whether cases in the VA and UNH  are included in the totals.

Cases in the nation are approaching a third peak according to the New York Times.    Unfortunately deaths are going back up to 1,000 a day.  Deaths in China (where it all began) are averaging less than 50 a day going back to April.

This is the page of the West Haven Health Department.   Phone: 203-937-3660  The department is located on the 2nd floor of City Hall.  

Here is their page for news about Covid-19

Troubling news in the New York Times.  There's been a 64% increase in Covid cases during the week ending Oct. 9 compared to one week earlier!

Wear a mask when you're out in public.  "Social distance", that is stay at least 6 feet apart.  Make sure the mask covers your nose (invisible droplets leave your nose when you exhale).  Try not to touch the front of the mask itself.  Put it on and off by the strings that go over your ears.  Wash your hands after touching your mask.  Have a couple masks.  If they're washable...wash them frequently.

More on mask safety from the doctors at Johns Hopkins.

And if you want to be stylish have your face mask match your tie as this man does.  :)

August 7. In the Washington Post a former executive explains how he used to lie about the Canadian health care system to protect the profits of the company he worked for.  Wendell Potter was a Vice-President at CIGNA. It was his job to tear down the Canadian medical plan where people pay nothing at the point of service and where general taxes pay for everyone's health care.

Potter has left the health-insurance industry and now supports Medicare-for-All.  

Here are some of the lies he used to tell.

• that there are long, long waits for medical service in Canada (The truth is Canadians " do not have to wait at all for the vast majority of medical services. ")
• that business leaders want to get treated outside the Canadian medical system  (The truth was this was based on one study that never explained how it came to this idea.)
• that Canadian doctors are flocking to the U.S. (The truth is Canada has more doctors per 1,000 citizens than does the U.S.

In Canada "  there are no co-pays, deductibles or coinsurance for covered benefits."   If you lose your job your medical benefits are completely unchanged because all Canadians have the same system.

See more about this in our next article.

The U.S. is alone among the rich countries having health insurance  tied to work. In Connecticut 54% of the population is covered that way.  The New York Times printed an article on July 13 showed that over 5 million workers lost their insurance since the start of the pandemic in the U.S.  Most of these workers have families so the number of Americans who lost medical insurance is much higher.  The Kaiser Foundation estimated that all told a staggering 27 million people have lost their health insurance.  

Those who have lost their employer insurance rush to see if they qualify under Medicaid, or pay for insurance on the market.  Millions will end up with no medical insurance at all.   If they  get Covid-19 the costs will be in the thousands even with the government picking up the costs for testing. 

Probably the most popular government program is Medicare.  Every senior gets it.  The basic program is free. Once you get your card there's very little paperwork. It's not perfect.  It should include dental and glasses and so on, but it covers a lot.

 If this program was expanded to all residents of the U.S. the fear of losing insurance, and worries about pre-conditions would all be gone.  The endless forms would all be gone.  And it would save the U.S. money.  Yes, save! A recent Yale study says it would save $450 billion a year.

Groups pushing for Medicare-for-all have been getting City Councils to go on record as calling for it.  New Orleans did it.  New London approved such a resolution.  Hamden, CT is working on it.  The idea was proposed to the West Haven City Council, but so far nothing has been done in this area by our city leaders.

#Medicare4All   #WakeUpWestieCityCouncil