Quest Diagnostics releases at-home COVID-19 test kit

Here are the most important things to know about the coronavirus in Connecticut:

No new hospitalizations since Monday

On Tuesday, the state of Connecticut announced 121 new cases, four more deaths and no new hospitalizations. The positivity rate (the percentage of total positive tests) decreased to 1.47 percent.

Quest diagnostics releases at-home COVID-19 test kit

Quest Diagnostics has released a new at-home COVID-19 test kit, WFSB-TV reported. The kit includes a nasal swab PCR test that can be returned in an overnight FedEx envelope. A test kit costs $129 and can be ordered online at the Quest Diagnostics website.

Alternatively, someone can complete the at-home test by buying it online and taking the specimen to a drive-thru pharmacy at a nearby Walmart.

FDA publishes vaccine guidelines opposed by White House

According to the Associated Press, the Food and Drug Administration released updated safety standards Tuesday for makers of COVID-19 vaccines despite efforts by the White House to block them, clearing the way for requirements that are widely expected to prevent the introduction of a vaccine before Election Day.

In the new guidelines posted on its website, the FDA said vaccine makers should follow trial participants for at least two months to rule out any major side effects before seeking emergency approval. That standard had been a sticking point between the FDA and White House officials, who said it could unreasonably delay the availability of COVID-19 vaccines.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted a vaccine could be authorized before Nov. 3, even though top government scientists working on the effort have said that timeline is very unlikely.

13-year-old spreads coronavirus to 12 people in four states

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has detailed how a 13-yearold with coronavirus spread the disease to at least 12 other people in four states.

Fourteen people stayed in a house with the “index patient,” of whom 12 were infected (none worse masks or practiced social distancing). Six other relatives stayed outside of the house and none of them caught the virus.

Relaxing social distancing rules contribute to increased transmission rates across U.S.

A study from researchers at the Center for Global Health in Boston showed the transmission rate across the United States began increasing as soon as social distancing rules were relaxed.

“We detected an immediate and significant reversal in SARS-CoV-2 epidemic suppression after relaxation of social distancing measures across the U.S. Premature relaxation of social distancing measures undermined the country’s ability to control the disease burden associated with COVID-19,” researchers said.