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Connecticut’s COVID-19 positivity rate has risen to 4.45% and 14 more deaths have been reported, state officials say.
Hospitalizations are down from 21, bringing the total below 500 to 492.
The state’s coronavirus death toll now stands at 7,900.
At a press conference Thursday, Governor Ned Lamont said Connecticut ranked 35th in per capita coronavirus deaths across the country.
Out of more than 35,000 tests carried out since Wednesday, 1,580 have come back positive.
Every Connecticut resident aged 16 and over is now eligible for a coronavirus vaccine.
Today is the first day that anyone aged 16 and over who lives, works or attends school in Connecticut is eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
“It’s a demographic that has been waiting for this opportunity for a few months now and I think they’re very happy with it,” Lamont said.
The governor said a total of 130,000 appointments had been made to get the coronavirus vaccine today. He said the state expects vaccine supply to exceed demand by the end of April.
Just under 2 million vaccines have already been administered in Connecticut. This includes approximately 1.25 million first and single doses and approximately 734,000 seconds.
Below is a breakdown of the percentages of people who received the vaccine by age group:
- 65 and over: 81%
- 45 and over: 65%
- 16 years and over: 43%
Vaccines available in Connecticut include Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson, but the only vaccine approved for 16 and 17 year olds is Pfizer.
With more than a million people now eligible to get vaccinated, the governor is urging people to be patient when trying to make an appointment.
New cases of COVID-19 variant reported
State officials have released a breakdown of the number of COVID-19 variants reported in Connecticut.
- B.1.526 (first detected in New York): 88 cases
- B.1.525 (first detected in Africa and Europe): 10 cases
- P.2 (first detected in Brazil): 7 cases
- B.1.1.7 (first detected in UK): 469 cases
- B.1.351 (first detected in South Africa): 6 cases
- P.1 (first detected in Brazil): 2 cases
- B.1.427 (first detected in California): 30 cases
- B.1.429 (first detected in California): 90 cases
An infectious disease expert spoke with NBC Connecticut about the COVID-19 variants that infect people and why vaccines will protect them.
More information on the coronavirus variants detected in Connecticut, click here.
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