In state, region, COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to climb
Connecticut hospitals are now treating more than 1,000 people infected with COVID-19, Gov. Ned Lamont’s office reported Friday.
Hospitalizations had reached 1,017 statewide, an increase of 49 since Wednesday, the last time the state released COVID-19 data.
Lawrence + Memorial and Westerly hospitals, affiliates of Yale New Haven Health, reported new highs in COVID-19 patients, breaking records set earlier in the week. L+M had 36 patients and Westerly 17.
The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich reported having 20 COVID-19 patients Friday, none in intensive care.
The governor’s office said 3,429 new cases of the disease had been detected in the state since Wednesday, based on the results of 71,327 tests — a positivity rate of 4.81%. Thirty-five additional deaths had been linked to the disease, bringing the cumulative toll since the pandemic began to 4,961.
In Ledge Light Health District, which serves southern New London County, data released Friday for the two weeks that ended Nov. 21 show COVID-19 positivity rates in eight of the district's nine municipalities were more than 4%. Rates were more than 5% in Groton, Stonington, Ledyard and Waterford. The rate in New London, which had the most cases and the most people tested, had dropped to 2.3%.
The district’s contact tracers saw a significant increase in the number of cases associated with long-term care and assisted living facilities, and continued to see many cases stemming from family and social gatherings. Stephen Mansfield, the district’s director of health, said the district has identified clusters of cases associated with food service establishments, manufacturing sites, schools, sports teams, offices and other workplace settings.
“In each instance, we conducted investigations and contact tracing activities to help reduce the likelihood of COVID transmissions,” Mansfield said. “These clusters are not necessarily due to noncompliance with COVID protocols, but are usually associated with groups of people working in close quarters, or community-acquired infections that people bring into the workplace.”
The state Department of Public Health’s database showed Friday that 136 new COVID-19 cases had been detected in New London County since Wednesday, pushing the cumulative total to 5,867. Three additional deaths had been linked to the disease, raising the county’s toll to 168.
Two nursing homes in the county reported COVID-19 cases among residents from Nov. 18-24, according to DPH. Bride Brook Health & Rehabilitation Center in East Lyme had 14 cases and Greentree Manor Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Waterford had 29.
In both the Ledge Light district and the Uncas Health District, which covers northern New London County, the number of new cases per week peaked in the week that ended Nov. 14.
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