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The state epidemiologist has warned Connecticut school administrators of the potential threat of a COVID variant that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expects to be the dominant strain here by March.
In a weekly call with principals, state epidemiologist Dr Matt Cartter provided an update on the variants, Department of Public Health spokesperson Maura Fitzgerald said.
“He included in his comments the actions that other countries have taken following the transmission of the variant, and shared that these were part of the responses that could be considered in the United States if the United Kingdom or some other variant became the predominant strain, ”Fitzgerald said.
The UK has closed schools to most students in response to soaring infection rates. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday that schools could reopen in early March, the Associated Press reported.
In his comments on the call, Cartter also noted that the CDC “expects the variant to become the predominant virus in the United States by March,” Fitzgerald said. “He hasn’t advised the people of Connecticut to prepare for a shutdown here or to make any claims about the impact that it may or may not be here in Connecticut.”
In a letter sent to teachers and families on Wednesday, Ridgefield Superintendent Susie Da Silva said state health officials warned of the new variant on the call.
“The Connecticut Department of Public Health advised school districts to prepare for the possibility of full distance learning in March due to the potential for a more infectious variant of the virus becoming prevalent in Connecticut,” wrote Da Silva at Ridgefield School Community.
Patrice McCarthy, deputy director and general counsel for the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, was among those on the call and said she interpreted the message to mean that schools could be remote on a regional basis rather than across the state like what happened the last wave.
“I think the superintendents, the board members – everybody recognizes that you have to continue to be flexible,” based on medical and scientific advice, McCarthy said. “As important as it is to keep the students in school, we are not going to do it if it is unhealthy.”
With confirmed cases of an increase in the COVID-19 mutation in Connecticut, health experts say basic mask-wearing and social distancing precautions are the best defense against the highly contagious strain.
“Until we get everyone immunized, we need to stay safe,” said Dr Zane Saul, head of infectious diseases at Bridgeport Hospital. “We expect these strains to emerge and we need to maintain best practices everywhere.”
Connecticut health officials reported Wednesday that there were 2,440 new COVID infections detected in 55,474 new tests for a one-day positivity rate of 4.4%. There were also 52 fewer hospitalizations, bringing the state’s total down to 1,016.
But dozens of new deaths have also been reported, with 42 more deaths attributed to the virus, bringing the state’s death toll to 6,976.
Gov. Ned Lamont announced Monday that there have been four more cases of the highly contagious UK variant detected in Connecticut, bringing the state’s total to at least eight. The announcement came days after Johnson held a press conference in which his chief science adviser said the variant was not only more contagious than the original, but potentially more deadly.
During this event, Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientist, said the previous COVID death rate for people in their 60s was 10 deaths per 1,000 people who tested positive. But, he said, the death rate among this age group has been proven to drop from 13 to 14 deaths per 1,000 since the discovery of the new variant.
However, Vallance warned, it’s still unclear whether the new variant is behind the increased death rate. He said that “the evidence is not yet strong”.
Even though the virus is not proving to be more deadly, it is still between 30 and 70% more contagious and that’s a reason for concern, experts say.
“It is very likely that the British strain will eventually become the dominant strain in the United States,” because of its infectious nature, said Dr Fred Browne, vice president of medical affairs and medical specialist in infectious diseases at the Griffin hospital.
Keith Grant, senior director of infection prevention systems at Hartford Healthcare, agreed that the UK variant poses a serious threat of making the pandemic worse. There also appear to be more variants of COVID that are spreading quickly, including those centered in California and South Africa.
“We expect to see these gaps around the world,” Grant said. “I think we’re going to continue to see these mutations overall.”
Of particular concern was the California variant, as it may have contributed to a recent increase in cases in the southern region of that state. According to a study published earlier this month by Cedars-Sinai, the variant has been found in more than a third of COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles. The researcher could not confirm whether this new strain is more deadly than other forms of COVID.
Variants have also been detected elsewhere, notably in South Africa and Brazil.
Grant said the main concern with the variants is that they are more contagious than the original COVID-19. If there is a variant that is found to be vaccine resistant or more deadly than the original, that would compound the concern even more, he said. The best course of action right now is to stay vigilant, he said.
“They just make sure they do the same things they did in terms of protection,” he said.
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