Mayor Martin Holds Final Scheduled COVID-19 Briefing

STAMFORD, CT — Mayor David Martin gave his final COVID-19 update to the public on Tuesday night, as Stamford is emerging from the pandemic.

Stamford is currently down to two new COVID cases per day, and the city is experiencing the lowest 14-day new case moving acreage since the pandemic began over 15 months ago. As of Tuesday, there were three COVID-positive patients being treated at Stamford Hospital. No patients have been admitted into the Intensive Care Unit for over a month. Additionally, there have been no fatalities reported in Stamford over the last two weeks.

On the vaccination front, almost 80% of Stamford adults have been vaccinated. When factoring in the younger age groups, the number is closer to 70%.

The breakdown by age with at least some coverage from a vaccine is as follows:

65-plus: 99.9%
45-64: 85.7%
15-44: 67.0%

For more information and a complete vaccine schedule for Stamford, click here.

Dr. Michael Bernstein, a pulmonary and critical care doctor at Stamford Hospital, spoke about the threat of the new variant from India.

The Delta variant, as it's called, is more contagious and it's currently circulating in the United States, where it represents about 10% of current cases.

"The dominant theme here is it infects people who are not vaccinated. It's more contagious than the other variants, and all the major vaccines totally protect people against this variant as well as it did against the [other variants]. The main thing to know is that it's out there, but if you get your vaccine it shouldn't be that much of a concern for you," Bernstein said.

During his closing remarks, Martin urged residents to get vaccinated if they haven't already.

"We're not completely out of this yet. For those of you who have not taken the shot, I know everyone has a different reason, but I absolutely urge you, from the bottom of my heart, it will make you safer if you have that vaccine," Martin said. "No question about it, particularly with these variants that are coming through. It will not only help you stay safe, it will help your family and friends stay safe. You can take the mask off when you're out and about. Everyone still be mindful of what this disease can do to people as we enter this summer time period."

Martin thanked his administration and all those who helped around Stamford during the pandemic. He called it "an honor and a privilege" to lead the city through the last 15 months.

"It was nothing I ever expected to do, I don't think it's anything any of us expected to do... From all the volunteers, the healthcare workers, so many people volunteering their own time, their own energy, their own resources to help keep others safe. I've never been prouder of this community," said Martin, fighting back tears.