NEW LONDON COUNTY, Conn. — A recent spike of COVID-19 infections in New London County had the state and local health professionals taking action. Free COVID testing was offered to thousands over the weekend which led to promising statistics.
"We really brought in the cavalry there the rapid response team," said Governor Ned Lamont. "It’s gone from 7% to 3.5% to 2%. We like to think with fast action we can make some progress."
The rapid response team made up of state and local health organizations administered over 3000 tests to the region over the weekend. No appointment was needed at any one of the locations. Backus Hospital was one of seven such locations in Norwich that offered tests to long lines of patiently waiting residents.
"We're dealing with patients admitted with COVID-19 at similar rates, if not higher, than that what we were dealing with when the pandemic first started," said Dr. William Hogan of Backus Hospital.
New London County has seen their cases per 100,000 people double in the last week. It’s up 267% over the last two. Over half of the state’s weekend hospitalizations come from the region.
The recent rise in cases has caught the attention of Lawrence & Memorial Hospital in New London. The hospital announced they will be restricting visitor access. Only those approved on a case-by-case basis will be allowed in. The rules reflecting the same ones implemented at the start of this pandemic.
About 900 of the tests administered over the weekend were in Norwich. City Mayor Peter Nystrom thanked the state and local health organizations for their work in administering the tests. He is asking residents to get tested to help the city track the spread.
"I think that people should take a step back. Remember what it was at the end of March when people were very cautious. We need to continue that effort," said Mayor Nystrom.
The Mayor supports the Superintendent of School's decision to move classes fully remote until Oct 16th to help the community combat the spike. The increase has not been attributed to any one source.
"We will keep at it until we are comfortable that we have nipped this in the bud," said Josh Geballe, the Chief Operating Officer of the Department of Administrative Services. "We are still a ways to go before we think we’re out of the woods yet."
RELATED: New visitor restrictions implemented for Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London due to COVID-19
Overall, Connecticut is at a 1.6% infection rate. While that has doubled over the last month or two, the state remains one of the best in mitigating the spread nationwide. The Governor said there are no plans to stop phase-three from happening on Thursday.