CT Coronavirus Updates: 121 More Deaths, 2,109 New Cases Reported

CONNECTICUT — Connecticut had another 121 coronavirus-related deaths, 2,109 positive cases and a net gain of 23 hospitalizations reported Wednesday.

“Deaths are still disturbingly high and I'm tired of saying that,” said Gov. Ned Lamont, adding that the death figures are representative of where the state was three or four weeks ago.

Lamont said he is troubled by the high death ratio in the state. He said he believes one reason for the high rate is because Fairfield County was right next to the New York City epicenter.

Connecticut has the third-highest death ratio per capita in the country, behind only New York and New Jersey, according to an analysis by The New York Times.

Another reason for the high death rate is because Connecticut has a broader definition of a coronavirus-related deaths, Lamont said. Connecticut defines coronavirus-related deaths as, “COVID-19-associated deaths include persons who tested positive for COVID-19 around the time of death and persons who were not tested for COVID-19 whose death certificate lists COVID-19 disease as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death.”

Connecticut follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines; some other states have a narrower definition of what qualifies as a coronavirus-related death, Lamont said. The death figures should be clarified across the country in about a month.

The large number of new positive cases reported Wednesday was due to a catch-up period in testing. A total of 5,716 test results were reported.

Fairfield and New Haven counties continue to be well under control in terms of hospitalizations, Lamont said. Hartford County continues to creep up. Fairfield County saw a net gain of 14 hospitalizations, New Haven saw five fewer and Hartford saw 22 more hospitalizations.

The How We Feel app now has 32,000 users in Connecticut, which is the highest per capita in the country, Lamont said. The app has people take anonymous surveys about possible coronavirus symptoms, if they have had any potential known contact with infected people and whether they are following social distancing practices.

Businesses

Connecticut businesses received a total of 18,000 federal paycheck protection loans with an average loan amount of $225,000. Connecticut businesses got a total of $4.2 billion. Around 15,000 businesses didn’t get money.

More federal money is expected to be approved by Congress and businesses that have already applied for the program are urged to contact their banks to find our their status.

Contact Tracing With NY? Not So Fast, Lamont Says

Earlier in the day, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that the tri-state area’s contact tracing effort would be led with the help of billionaire Michael Bloomberg. However, Lamont said that decision is still to be determined. Lamont said it’s too early to talk about a tri-state partnership and there is no formal agreement yet.

Contact tracing helps determine who has come into contact with someone who tests positive for the virus.

The state Department of Public Health has been reviewing different contact tracing methods for several weeks, including some online platforms that would modernize a 100-year-old process, said state COO Josh Geballe.

Lamont also said that Connecticut would run its tracing in-house and likely through the state’s regional health departments with help from state DPH.

See also: Connecticut Man, 26, Dies Due To Coronavirus

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Connecticut Coronavirus Figures By County

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This article originally appeared on the Across Connecticut Patch