Daily coronavirus updates: Connecticut’s COVID-19 metrics turn in wrong direction as cases reach highest daily level since April

Alex Putterman, Hartford Courant
·2 min read

Connecticut’s COVID-19 metrics have taken a surprising turn in recent days, state numbers show, moving upward again despite predictions from some experts that they would decrease in the near future.

After reporting an unusually large number of coronavirus cases Friday, the state has now averaged 773 infections a day over the past week, the most in a seven-day period since late April.

Cases and positivity rate

Connecticut reported 1,544 new COVID-19 cases out of 36,572 tests Friday, for a positivity rate of 4.2%. The state has now reported a positivity rate above 4% twice this week, after experiencing only one day above that level in the previous five months.

Connecticut’s seven-day positivity rate now stands at 3.2%, up from 2.7% on Monday.

It’s unclear what has caused the sudden rise in Connecticut’s numbers, though experts had warned that cases could increase due to Labor Day gatherings and students returning to school. As the weather cools and more activities move indoors, they say, it’s unclear what might happen next.

“This past week we’ve seen some fluctuations with regards to new cases,” said Dr. David Banach, an epidemiologist at UConn Health. “Moving into the fall, I think we have to be very attentive to what happens in the coming weeks and what the trajectory might look like moving forward.”

Hospitalizations

As of Friday, Connecticut has 332 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, up seven from Thursday, though still down from last week.

Despite making up a minority of Connecticut residents, unvaccinated people account for 72% of those hospitalized with COVID-19, according to state numbers.

Deaths

Connecticut on Thursday reported 31 COVID-19 deaths over the past week, bringing its total during the pandemic to 8,447.

The United States has now recorded 671,098 COVID-19 deaths, according to the Coronavirus Resource Center at Johns Hopkins University.

Vaccinations

As of Friday, 75.1% of all Connecticut residents and 86.2% of those 12 and older had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, while 67.6% of all residents and 77.6% of those 12 and older were fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

Alex Putterman can be reached at aputterman@courant.com.