Political turmoil

Gov. Ned Lamont’s efforts to get at-home test kits into the hands of Connecticut residents got off to a bumpy start just before the new year. The state’s first supply of at-home test kits arrived later and in fewer numbers than originally anticipated after an earlier shipment was abruptly canceled, forcing local leaders to hastily reschedule distribution to residents.

His critics have pounced on the political fumble, even as the administration has successfully doled out 1.8 million at-home tests in the days since.

Republicans, including Themis Klarides, the former GOP House leader who is actively considering a run for governor this year, and the head of the state Republican Party continue to fault Lamont for failing to prepare for the surge in demand for testing.

In an op-ed in the Connecticut Post on Friday, Klarides said Lamont was “caught flat-footed” despite projections that the omicron variant “would disrupt this year’s holiday season.” She called on the governor to “come clean and provide complete transparency” about why the deal fell apart.

Later Friday, Sen. Eric Berthel, R-Watertown, asked for a full accounting of the at-home test kits the Lamont administration “has contractual agreements for” and when more tests will be delivered to cities and towns.

“Thousands of families are still in need and lack other reasonable alternatives to at-home testing—State Covid Testing Sites—because these sites are now overwhelmed,” Berthel said in a letter to Lamont. “As a result, families presently face hours-long wait times and test shortages with hundreds being turned away.”

House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R- North Branford, said in a statement Tuesday that the confusion over the failed deal warranted further investigation.

“It seems like a matter that’s appropriate for Attorney General [William] Tong’s office to investigate, and I think it’s a necessary step if the governor hopes to rebuild some of the trust he’s lost through this debacle,” Candelora said.

Tong’s office did not say this week whether the attorney general, a Democrat, had plans to investigate the matter.

Max Reiss, the governor’s director of communications, said Friday the administration continues to provide information as shipments come in.

“We’re continuing to work with suppliers to get more shipments into the state,” Reiss said. “So far, we’ve delivered 1.8 million tests, which per capita is, I believe, the highest in the region.”

He said more tests were scheduled to be distributed Saturday to early childhood educators.