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A wave of COVID outbreaks has sparked concern from Governor Ned Lamont and Connecticut’s top health official as the state continues to tackle the spread of the delta variant.
Lamont and Dr Deidre Gifford, head of the State Department of Public Health, issued a press release on Thursday, highlighting small outbreaks of unvaccinated people that occurred last month at a summer camp, a hotbed group and a private party. The incidents also involved inconsistent use of masks, DPH said.
The ministry provided few details on the exact time and location of outbreaks, but used it to highlight the need for people to take precautions to limit the spread of the virus.
“As we move into fall, with back to school, vacation and flu season on the horizon, the Department of Public Health is reminding everyone of the importance of taking continued precautions against the delta variant.” DPH said in the press release.
Despite concerns expressed by Lamont, his office said on Thursday that there were no plans to change state strategy or reinstate broad restrictions.
New infections and other key metrics have mostly remained stable in recent weeks, and Lamont has expressed optimism that the curve is flattening.
On Thursday, the state reported a daily positivity rate of 2.93% for COVID testing. Hospitalizations fell from 10 net patients to a total of 354 statewide – 74% of them were unvaccinated, according to the report. 22 more deaths were reported last week.
While cases have not continued to rise steadily, experts have warned of the possibility of a spike in infections as Connecticut heads for the fall with the delta variant still widely circulating.
Scott Gottlieb, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner who appeared alongside Lamont during COVID-19 briefings, told CNBC last weekend he believed a wave of delta infections was going to hit the northeast after Labor Day. Other experts said it was difficult to say if another wave of infections could occur in the coming weeks.
As cases began to escalate after reaching pandemic lows in June, Lamont opposed a broad reinstatement of the indoor mask mandate, ultimately signing an order that allows city leaders to set demands on the indoor mask. within the borders of their communities.
Lamont avoided widespread immunization mandates, instead issuing narrowly targeted requirements, including teachers and those working in long-term care facilities.
Despite any vaccine requirements, Connecticut has one of the highest vaccination rates in the country. The latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that more than 76% of all eligible Connecticut residents – those aged 12 and older – are fully vaccinated.
“We’re really getting closer to herd immunity, but in this race the delta variant… presents challenges,” said Dr. Thomas Balcezak, chief medical officer of Yale New Haven Health.
Even those who are fully vaccinated are infected with the virus and a small number become seriously ill.
The state also reported 1,258 more cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, which are infections involving people who have been fully vaccinated for at least two weeks. There have been five more deaths attributed to breakthrough cases over the past week.
“We are seeing fully vaccinated patients who are admitted,” Balcezak said.
DPH pointed out Thursday that five Connecticut counties – Hartford, Litchfield, New Haven, New London and Windham – are designated as having high community transmission by the CDC.
The number of communities designated as “red zones” by the DPH increased last week from 91 to 84, according to the state. Municipalities that receive these designations have more than 15 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over a two-week period.
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