New London County's COVID cases fall 6.3%; Connecticut cases surge 21.9%

Mike Stucka USA TODAY NETWORK
·3 min read

New coronavirus cases leaped in Connecticut in the week ending Sunday, rising 21.9% as 7,891 cases were reported. The previous week had 6,471 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Connecticut ranked 11th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States increased 33.2% from the week before, with 501,037 cases reported. With 1.07% of the country's population, Connecticut had 1.57% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 43 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

Kites soar at the Rockport Kite Festival on Saturday, April 30, 2022. The festival returned after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kites soar at the Rockport Kite Festival on Saturday, April 30, 2022. The festival returned after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

New London County reported 581 cases and two deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 620 cases and one death. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 57,081 cases and 660 deaths.

Windham County reported 199 cases and one death in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 165 cases and one death. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 26,298 cases and 304 deaths.

Killingly Redmen or Red Hawks?: Does the use of Killingly High School's old Red Hawk logo 'defy authority'? AD responds.

Within Connecticut, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Middlesex County with 269 cases per 100,000 per week; New Haven County with 242; and New London County with 219. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.

Adding the most new cases overall were New Haven County, with 2,072 cases; Fairfield County, with 2,040 cases; and Hartford County, with 1,922. Weekly case counts rose in seven counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in New Haven, Fairfield and Hartford counties.

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

Connecticut ranked 3rd among states in share of people receiving at least one shot, with 95.6% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 77.7%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are the most used in the United States, require two doses administered a few weeks apart.

In the week ending Wednesday, Connecticut reported administering another 41,814 vaccine doses, including 6,208 first doses. In the previous week, the state administered 48,236 vaccine doses, including 7,082 first doses. In all, Connecticut reported it has administered 7,633,043 total doses.

Norwich school uniforms: School uniforms won't be required in Norwich Public Schools in the fall. Why the change?

In Connecticut, 24 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 16 people were reported dead.

A total of 766,172 people in Connecticut have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 10,874 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 81,863,725 people have tested positive and 997,526 people have died.

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

Connecticut's COVID-19 hospital admissions falling

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, May 8.

Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

  • Last week: 577

  • The week before that: 626

  • Four weeks ago: 421

Chaplin murder suspect: Chaplin murder suspect, arrested in NH, once threatened to decapitate someone, police say

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

  • Last week: 45,875

  • The week before that: 42,092

  • Four weeks ago: 37,354

Hospitals in 36 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 32 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 35 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: New London County reported 581 additional COVID-19 cases this week