CONNECTICUT, USA — Updates from the fight against COVID-19 here in Connecticut
Jan. 8
Gov. Lamont says positivity rate has climbed to 8.46%.
The governor visited LiveWell Friday, a long-term care facility in Plantsville that has been administering the COVID-19 vaccine to its residents and staff.
After the visit, he addressed reporters and mentioned that at the end of the day, the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will be available for all nursing homes.
He also provided a small update on coronavirus in Connecticut.
Gov. Lamont said there was a spike in the state's positivity rate, which now reaches 8.5%. Connecticut saw 3,236 tests out of 38,262 administered come back positive.
There were 22 new reported hospitalizations on Friday, bring the total number of patients to 1,109. Connecticut saw 37 new COVID-19 related deaths bring the death toll to 6,324.
Connecticut’s COVID-19 exposure notification app, has been activated on more than one million mobile devices
Governor Ned Lamont announced Friday that the COVID Alert CT notification app, has been activated on more than one million mobile devices – reaching roughly one-third of the state’s population, which is among the highest activation rates in the country.
Apple and Google have reported that public health benefits start to be realized when 15 percent of the population enables the feature.
“This is an important milestone in the effort to reduce transmission of COVID-19 in Connecticut,” Governor Lamont said. “I am pleased to see that so many of our residents have decided to activate this app on their mobile devices. It says, yet again, that our residents are among the most diligent in the country and are an example to others as they continue to use tools like this that can help stop the spread of COVID-19, and also wear their masks and keep their distance.”
“This is an encouraging metric for our state as we head into 2021 and continue to expand the resources available to our residents through the state’s COVID-19 response efforts,” Connecticut Public Health Acting Commissioner Dr. Deidre Gifford said. “This app not only informs those who may have been near someone who tested positive for COVID-19, but also gives those individuals information about how to be in touch with our contact tracing team, who can help them access critical information and resources about what they need to do to self-isolate or quarantine.”
“This app is a great example of what we can do to leverage technology and public-private partnerships to improve public health and safety during this unprecedented pandemic,” Connecticut’s Chief Operating Officer Josh Geballe said. “While this is a significant number, it’s important to know that we still want more people to active this app. The more people who have it on their phone, the more effective it is as a tool we can use to combat COVID-19 and support our contact tracing efforts.”
For more information on how COVID Alert CT works, visit ct.gov/covidalertct.
Jan. 7
Governor Lamont scheduled to provide an update on COVID-19 in CT
The Governor gave an update on the COVID-19 statistics in the state at 4 p.m. today.
Recently, it was announced two people in New Haven County, between the ages 15 and 25, tested positive for the COVID-19 variant discovered in the U.K.
Connecticut surpassed 200,000 COVID-19 cases Wednesday. The state-administered 52,633 tests and 3,304 came back positive, yielding a positivity rate of 6.28 percent.
There was a decrease in COVID-19 hospitalizations by 52 people, bring the total number of patients to 1,087. There were 57 new reported COVID-19 related deaths. There have now been 6,287 COVID-19 related deaths in CT.
Jan. 6
UConn Men's Hockey Team pauses activities due to COVID-19
On Wednesday, UConn Assitant Director of Athletic Communications Bill Peterson said the men's hockey team will be suspending team activities due to a member of the program testing positive for COVID-19.
Activities will remain on hold until contact tracing and more testing are done and medical professionals say it is safe to resume.
The UConn Huskies' games against Northeastern on January 7 and January 9 have been postponed.
COVID-19 positivity rate rises to 8.55%, hospitalizations down
Governor Ned Lamont's office released the latest COVID-19 statistics showing an increase in positivity and a decrease in hospitalizations.
Connecticut administered 29,080 tests and 2,486 came back positive, yielding a positivity rate of 8.55%. Current hospitalizations dropped by 10 people since Tuesday, bringing the total down to 1,139 patients.
There were 38 more COVID-19 related deaths reported, bring the death toll to 6,230 people.
UConn Women's Basketball game against Xavier canceled
The No. 3 UConn women have had another game postponed because of coronavirus-related issues.
The Huskies, which saw their planned Thursday showdown with No. 6 Baylor canceled after Baylor coach Kim Mulkey tested positive for COVID-19, announced Wednesday they will not play their scheduled game at Xavier on Jan. 13 because the Musketeers have announced a pause to team activities due to contact tracing.
The schools say a makeup date will be announced at a later time.
UConn’s next game is scheduled at home on Saturday against Providence. Coach Geno Auriemma is seeking his 1,098th win, which would tie him with the late Pat Summitt for second all-time, behind Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer's 1,103.
Jan. 5
Positivity rate rises 7.66%, hospitalizations increase by 38 patients
The Governor's office released the latest COVID-19 statistics showing an increase in positivity rate, hospitalizations, and virus-related deaths.
Connecticut administered 30,458 tests on Monday and 2,332 came back positive, yielding a positivity rate of 7.66 percent. There were 38 more hospitalizations reported, bringing the total to 1,149 people.
There were 24 new reported COVID-19 related deaths bringing the state total to 6,192 people.
Jan. 4
Lamont holds briefing
Today at 4:00 p.m., Governor Ned Lamont held a news briefing providing updates on the State of Connecticut’s coronavirus response efforts.
The state saw a positivity rate from over the last few days of about 5.29 percent. There were 85, 344 tests administered and 4,516 came back positive.
There were 55 new hospitalizations reported bringing the state total to 1,111 patients. Governor Lamont said the state's hospital capacity is fine.
So far there have been 75,180 doses of the vaccine administered to Connecticut. Lamont said the state is one of eight states to have vaccinated more than 2 percent of its population. The other states in this group include Maine, West Virginia, and North Dakota.
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, who was recently named the Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, was also in attendance during the press conference. DeLauro discusses the recent COVID-19 relief money coming to the state, aiding those struggling during the pandemic.
Deputy fire chief, former State Trooper mourned following battle with COVID-19
The East Brooklyn Fire Department is mourning the loss of one of their own.
They tweeted Sunday that Deputy Fire Chief Patrick Dragon had passed away.
The Rhode Island State Police also tweeted, extending their sympathies. Dragon had worked as a Dispatcher at the Foster Police Department in Rhode Island. He was also a retired Connecticut State Trooper.
Hartford Healthcare workers receive second dose of COVID-19 vaccine
Three weeks have passed since history was made in Connecticut, when the first doses of the Pfizer vaccine arrived at Hartford Healthcare. On Monday, Those healthcare workers returning for their second dose of the vaccine, completing their immunity process.
