CT Coronavirus Updates: Largest Single-Day Death Toll

HARTFORD, CT — Another 71 coronavirus deaths were reported in Connecticut Tuesday, bringing the total to 277. It was the highest single-day death toll in Connecticut since the pandemic began.

Connecticut also saw another 874 coronavirus cases. There were 87 more hospitalizations, bringing that total to 277.

State COO Josh Geballe said the vast majority of the newly reported deaths occurred in the past 24 hours.

Gov. Ned Lamont remained optimistic Tuesday that new daily hospitalizations seem to be steady instead of ramping up. The state has averaged about 90 new hospitalizations daily over the last five days.

"At least we can say we seem to be flattening out," Lamont said about the hospital numbers.

Lamont added that the higher death numbers reported Tuesday are more reflective of the situation in Connecticut a couple of weeks ago.

Connecticut is looking into the legality of mail-in voting without a constitutional amendment. There is a provision within state law that allows for absentee ballots in a health emergency and state lawyers are analyzing whether the current situation would apply.

Connecticut now has a total of 1,400 ventilators, Geballe said. The number needed is dependent on how much the state could flatten the curve, officials said. The state could need as many as 4,000 ventilators under a worst-case scenario, Lamont said previously.

New workplace guidelines will be coming out Tuesday night, especially concerning construction. Generally, there is more concern about indoor construction if it's a project that has workers within six feet of each other, Lamont said.

Manufacturers have generally been smart about reducing possible exposure to the coronavirus with many taking temperatures of employees daily at the start of shifts, Lamont said. Manufacturers have also ramped up cleaning procedures, especially between shifts.

Examining the numbers on a state, county and hyperlocal basis

• Fairfield County 4,136 cases, 132 deaths
• Hartford County 1,045 cases, 48 deaths
• Litchfield County 255 cases, 9 deaths
• Middlesex County 150 cases, 7 deaths
• New Haven County 1,664 cases, 60 deaths
• New London County 85 cases, 4 deaths
• Tolland County 111 cases, 13 deaths
• Windham County 43 cases, 1 death
• 292 cases and 3 deaths are pending addresses

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Of the 277 reported deaths in Connecticut, 149 were people over the age of 80; 63 were between 70 and 79; 39 were between 60 and 69; 13 were between 50 and 59; nine were between 40 and 49; two were between 30 and 39; one was between 20 and 29; and one was a newborn. Of special note, this is the first time a person between the ages of 20 and 29 died. A total of 167 men and 109 women have died.

Towns reporting the most cases include: Stamford 1,000; Norwalk 625; Danbury 609; New Haven 365; Bridgeport 346; Waterbury 299; Greenwich 228. (See below for a town-by-town breakdown).

Towns still reporting zero cases include: Andover, Canaan, Chaplin, Colebrook, Hampton, Hartland, North Stonington, Scotland, Sprague, Union, and Warren.

The number of hospitalizations by county are:

• Fairfield 613
• New Haven 390
• Hartford 243
• Middlesex 26
• Litchfield 17
• New London 12
• Tolland 4
• Windham 3

Nursing home numbers

Among 215 nursing homes in CT, 82 (38 percent) have had at least one confirmed case of COVID-19. A total of 600 nursing home residents with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 have been identified of whom 171 (29 percent) were hospitalized and 81 (14 percent) have died.

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Town-by-town numbers

Testing

Lamont announced that the Tri-state governors were working on a plan for regional testing for the coronavirus, including antibody testing that would determine who is immune to the virus. The governor said a federal testing plan would be ideal, but absent that a regional approach would be the best choice.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that his state’s Department of Health developed an antibody test and is working to bring it to scale with the Food and Drug Administration.

Lamont’s testing comments echo concerns of hospital officials. A survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that many administrators want a national coordination of testing because hospital systems are competing with each other for testing materials and personal protective equipment.