Daily coronavirus updates: Connecticut hospitalizations dip below 500; positivity rate hovers around 2% for second day

Connecticut on Friday reported that its positive coronavirus test rate remained around 2% for a second consecutive day, as a decline in coronavirus hospitalizations brought the number below 500 for the first time in about a week and a half.

The state reported 1,062 newly identified coronavirus cases out of a total of 46,768 tests administered, for a daily positivity rate of 2.3%. That’s the second day that the state’s positivity rate has been at approximately that level, after Connecticut reported a rate of 2% on Thursday.

The state’s weekly positivity rate, a more stable metric, has also dipped slightly in recent days. On Friday, the weekly rate hit 3%, returning Connecticut to the levels it saw in mid-March.

Also on Friday, the state reported that its coronavirus hospitalizations dipped by 19, for a total of 486 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19.

But while hospitalizations and positivity showed promising signs, the state still reported five additional coronavirus-linked deaths. The state has reported a total of 7,995 coronavirus-linked deaths since the pandemic began — meaning Connecticut is likely to pass another grim milestone in the coming days.

Also since the pandemic began, the state has seen 329,062 coronavirus cases. Nationwide, there have been more than 31.5 million coronavirus cases and a total of 565,986 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.

Researchers estimate variants make up majority of Connecticut’s coronavirus cases

The state of Connecticut has formally identified 945 cases of the B117 strain of COVID-19, which was first identified in the UK. But according to researchers at the Yale School of Public Health, that strain now makes up more than half of the cases they sequenced.

The B117 strain is more transmissible than other strains of the virus, meaning that it spreads more easily, and may cause more severe illness, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, the coronavirus vaccines still protect against this strain.

At a Thursday briefing, Gov. Ned Lamont emphasized that vaccines will provide protection from the B117 strain.

“The B117 — the bad news is it’s highly infectious, so while we have over half of our population has been vaccinated, it’s still spreading fast in the other half of the population,” Lamont said. “The good news is, the vaccines work, it works against this variant.”

Another strain, known as the New York variant or B1526, also makes up a large proportion of cases. The state has reported 478 cases of that variant, and the Yale researchers reported it makes up about 34% of the cases that they sequenced.

Vaccines might be less effective against the B1526 strain, according to the CDC, but more data is needed in order to know for sure. In addition, vaccines are expected to provide some level of protection, even if they aren’t quite as effective against a particular variant.

Josh Geballe, the state’s chief operating officer, emphasized that anyone who is concerned about the strains should get vaccinated as soon as possible.

“What’s common about almost everybody who’s being hospitalized right now is that they were not vaccinated,” Geballe said at a Thursday press briefing. “So if [the variants are] a topic you’re concerned about, my recommendation is go get vaccinated.”

Emily Brindley can be reached at ebrindley@courant.com.