CT Crosses Grim Coronavirus Death Milestone

CONNECTICUT — Connecticut’s coronavirus situation continues to improve in many ways, however, the state surpass the grim milestone of 7,000 deaths Thursday.

Another 44 deaths were reported, which brought the number of recorded coronavirus-related deaths to 7,020.

Net coronavirus hospitalizations dropped below 1,000 for the first time in months — there were 21 fewer coronavirus patients and 995 total hospitalized.

Glastonbury Public Schools Superintendent Alan Bookman told his Board of Education that school closures in March could be a possibility if highly infectious coronavirus variants take hold in the state, according to the Journal Inquirer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is predicting that the U.K. strain will become the dominant strain in the U.S. by March.

Connecticut will likely be able to head off widespread school closures through its vaccination efforts, Gov. Ned Lamont said during a Thursday news conference.

“I’m fairly confident that if we continue our flow of vaccines, they continue to up the ante, we’re going to be having school in March,” he said.

The U.K closed down schools due to a high number of infections linked to the variant. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has set a target date of March 8 for schools to resume in-person learning, according to the BBC.

Vaccines

Connecticut has administered more than 364,000 vaccine doses as of Thursday and around 300,000 people have gotten at least their first dose, Lamont said. Connecticut ranks third nationally for per capita vaccinations.

Connecticut has capacity to vaccinate 150,000 people per week and the demand is there as well, Lamont said

Around 35 percent of Connecticut’s 75 and over population has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

The impact of vaccinations at Connecticut nursing homes has become apparent, Lamont said. There has been around a two-thirds drop in nursing home cases.

States across the country will see a permanent 16 percent bump in weekly first doses. Connecticut will use those doses for the 75 and over population in underserved communities, Lamont said. The state will use the CDC’s social vulnerability index to determine those communities.

So far vaccinations for the 75 and over age group have lagged behind in communities with a higher social vulnerability index, Lamont said.

Connecticut will start vaccinations at prisons on Monday starting with staff and inmates who are 75 and older. The state will also roll out mobile vaccination clinics to senior housing.

Connecticut is also making headway improving the vaccine appointment hotline. Average wait times are now below three minutes and appointments are available at six sites throughout the state. The online appointment system offers a much broader range of appointment sites