Ken Houston | September 6, 2023 | WTNH News 8
HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — A Hartford woman received a special honor on Wednesday for being a health care hero during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Without folks like you, we would not be one of the most vaccinated states in the country,” Gov. Ned Lamont said during an award presentation.
Sasa Harriott, the president of Harriott Home Health Services, received the 2023 Immunization Champion Award for her role in distributing vaccines. Her team of 100 fanned out across Hartford to provide immunizations.
“We go wherever home is,” she said. “Sometimes, that’s in a home. Sometimes, that’s on a front stoop, and sometimes, that’s in the streets, in a park.”
Connecticut Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani said having the network made the state safer.
Health leaders continue to urge people to become vaccinated and receive booster shots. COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased nationwide by more than 15% in one week — about half of what they were at during the same time next year. Doctors are now warning of a powerful new variant.