LLHD Responds to Elevated Rates of COVID-19 Infection in NL

Ledge Light Health District, in cooperation with the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH), the City of New London, New London Public Schools and other community partners, are planning interventions to address the recent surge in cases in the city of New London.

Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) reported to DPH a significant increase in COVID transmission in New London during the week ending October 2, 2020. After calculating the rate of transmission in each of their municipalities, LLHD determined that the City of New London had exceeded the threshold that DPH uses to designate a “COVID Alert.” DPH then provided an extensive analysis of the rates of infection, demographics and trends associated with this increase in COVID transmissions. On October 7, 2020, LLHD hosted a meeting to discuss the rates and begin development of a community plan to implement interventions designed to reduce the number of infections in our community. It should be noted that our contact tracing efforts have shown that the majority of new cases involve community-based transmission, rather than institutional based transmission, as was the case at the beginning of the pandemic.

Immediate actions include increasing access to free COVID-19 testing for people in New London. LLHD encourages everyone who is interested in getting tested to do so. “It is now clear that people may have COVID-19 and be infectious without experiencing any symptoms,” said Director of Health Stephen Mansfield. “By increasing testing, we can help people know when they should stay home and isolate in order to protect their family, friend, co-workers and neighbors.” You can access a current list of testing locations at https://llhd.org/coronavirus-covid-19-situation/covid-19-testing/

LLHD discussions with DPH, the City of New London, and New London Public Schools continue, and additional interventions will be considered in the coming days. In the meantime, LLHD is asking everyone to remember that simple prevention measures can make a big difference in reducing the spread of COVID-19. “Now more than ever we need everyone to make sure they are wearing a mask over their mouth and nose when they have to be around others, to try to maintain at least 6 feet between themselves and others, and to limit gatherings with people they don’t live with,” said Director Mansfield.