Monroe Coronavirus Vaccine Weekly Update

MONROE, CT — Friday marked the start of both Connecticut’s new reopening phase and the new vaccine phase for people 45 to 54 years old.

Connecticut continues to make rapid progress vaccinating the population. About a third of all residents 16 and over have received at least one dose as of Thursday. State officials project that anyone 16 and older who wants a vaccine will be able to get their first dose by late April or early May.

Monroe had 5,251 first doses administered as of March 15. About 27.02 percent of town residents have received at least one dose, according to the state Department of Public Health. There were 789 new first doses administered between March 8 and 15 in Monroe.

DPH estimates that 85.39 percent of Monroe residents 75 and older have received at least one dose. Around 73.67 percent of residents between 65 and 74 have received at least one dose. DPH uses 2014 Connecticut population estimates for age groups, which is the most recent reliable estimate available.

Connecticut’s per capita infection rate has stayed roughly the same for several weeks. There were 21.5 average daily cases per 100,000 residents between Feb. 28 and March 13. The per capita rate was 20.9 between Feb. 21 and March 6.

The number of towns in the state’s weekly red zone for coronavirus infections increased slightly by four towns up to 108 out of 169. Towns fall into the red zone when average daily cases exceed 15 per 100,000 population.

Monroe recorded 30 new coronavirus cases between March 11 and 17, according to the state Department of Public Health’s preliminary data. There have been 1147 cases recorded since the pandemic began and 13 coronavirus deaths.

Monroe had 23.8 average daily cases per 100,000 residents between Feb. 28 and March 13 and a positive test rate of 4.60 percent. There were 16.5 average daily cases per 100,000 residents in the previous two-week reporting period. It’s important to note that a relatively small number of cases can have a big effect on the case rate, especially in smaller towns.