CT COVID-19 Hospitalizations Rise, Town-By-Town Case Updates

CONNECTICUT — The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 has risen slightly over the past few weeks.

There were 405 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Thursday, which was a net climb of 22 patients from the prior week. Last week, hospitalizations had dropped 17 patients from the prior week. The number of COVID-19 patients in Connecticut is currently the highest since February, according to the state Department of Public Health.

The state reported 3,206 cases over seven days. The weekly positive test rate was up on the week, from 9.57 percent to 10.11 percent this week. The actual number of cases is likely higher, as many at-home positive test results go unreported.

The news comes one day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the Emergency Use Authorization issued by the Food and Drug Administration for the updated bivalent COVID-19 booster for children as young as age 5. The EUA includes the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine being approved for children 5- through 11-years-old, and the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine approved for children ages 6- through 17-years-old.

These vaccines should be administered at least two months following primary or booster vaccination, according to the CDC guidance.

"The timing of these approved updated boosters couldn’t be better," according to DPH commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani. "Respiratory viruses circulate during the colder months and with people spending more time indoors, now is the time to receive an extra level of protection which targets these variants and prevents transmission of this virus."

These updated COVID-19 vaccines provide an immune response that is protective against both the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron variants.

New London County has remained at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s lowest COVID-19 community level, while all other counties continue at the medium level.

Connecticut reported another 17 COVID-19 related deaths, five fewer than last week. The state COVID-19 death toll stands at 11,402.

School COVID-19 cases down

There were fewer reported COVID-19 cases among students and staff in PK-12 schools during the most recent reporting period. DPH reported 972 cases among students and 383 among staff between Oct. 6-12. There were 1,449 cases among students and 590 among staff in the previous reporting week.

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Check out school-by-school case counts here.