CT COVID-19 Hospitalizations, Cases Climb: Town-By-Town Update

CONNECTICUT — The World Health Organization is warning that the new XBB.1.5 variant of COVID-19, nicknamed "Kraken," is the "most transmissible" yet detected.

The news came as COVID-19 weekly positive test rate in Connecticut had jumped nearly two percentage points over last week's reckoning.

In a news conference Wednesday, Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's COVID-19 technical lead, told reporters her organization is concerned about the variant's spread, "particularly the northeast part of the United States where XBB.1.5 has rapidly replaced other circulating variants."

The Omicron off-shoot accounts for more than 75 percent of all COVID-19 infections in the Northeast, according to the latest data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It has been confirmed in 25 countries as of Wednesday.

The upside is that XBB.1.5 symptoms are generally milder, according to the CDC, and often affects the upper-respiratory tract rather than the lungs.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health is reporting 761 residents are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, a 47 patient increase from last Thursday. Last week, hospitalizations had climbed 22 patients from the prior week. The number of Connecticut residents hospitalized with the virus has nearly doubled since Thanksgiving.

The state reported 4,750 cases over seven days, an increase of 1,544 cases over last week's tally. The weekly positive test rate was also up on the week, from 15.56 percent to 17.36 percent this week. The actual number of cases is likely higher, as many at-home positive test results go unreported.

Fairfield, Litchfield, Middlesex and New Haven Counties have remained at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s highest COVID-19 community level, while all other counties continue at the medium level. People living in the counties designated in the High/Orange category are advised to wear a mask indoors in public, stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines, and get tested if they have symptoms. Additional precautions may be needed for residents who are at high risk for severe illness.

Connecticut reported another 33 COVID-19 related deaths. The state COVID-19 death toll stands at 11,803.

As of Jan. 4, 2023, a total of 311,460 cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated persons in Connecticut have been identified, according to state health officials. Those cases account for 10.43 percent of the nearly 2.8 million people in the state who are fully vaccinated.

Over 95 percent of residents 55 years of age and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The breakdown of the remaining age groups looks like this:

• 91 percent of those between 45-54
• 90 percent of those between 35-44
• 88 percent of those between 25-34
• 85 percent of those between 15-24
• 73 percent of those between 10-14
• 51 percent of those between 5-9
• 14 percent of those between 0-4

Below are the town-by-town COVID-19 case counts for the past week.