CT Coronavirus Hospitalizations Drop, Nearly 100 Deaths Reported

CONNECTICUT — Connecticut saw another drop in coronavirus hospitalizations over the weekend with a net drop of 24 patients over three days. However, 95 people died from the virus over those three days as well.

Hospitalizations are down to 1,143 patients. For now, it seems like coronavirus hospitalizations have stabilized in the state, Gov. Ned Lamont said during a news conference. Connecticut reached a second wave high point of 1,269 coronavirus hospitalizations about a week ago.

There have been 585 coronavirus deaths recorded since the beginning of the month — it took from late September to late November for the same amount of deaths to occur.

The state recorded 4,595 new cases over the three days and a positive test rate of 5.18 percent, which continued the state’s drop from a recent high over 7 percent. Connecticut also broke the 4 million total test mark over the weekend.

Vaccines

Connecticut is expecting around 87,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines this week between its allotment from Pfizer and Moderna, Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday granted emergency use authorization for Moderna’s vaccine. Connecticut is allotted around 63,000 Moderna doses and 24,375 Pfizer doses this week on top of the 31,200 Pfizer doses the state received last week. Both vaccines require two doses.

Frontline health care workers, medical first responders and staff and residents at long-term care facilities are among the first group being vaccinated.

The first Moderna doses were administered Monday morning at Hartford Hospital, according to NBC Connecticut.

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“This is another important step forward in getting this vaccine to as many people in our state so that we can better manage this disease and prevent its spread,” Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement. “We’re doing everything we can to get as many doses to the people who need it most, and over the coming days and weeks we expect our supply to significantly grow.”

Connecticut has administered 7,761 vaccine doses as of Monday, Lamont said. Nine nursing homes have completed administering the first doses and another 75 are scheduled to get their first doses by the end of the week.

New CDC guidance

Lamont said all "phase 1a" frontline health care workers and nursing home residents and staff will receive both vaccine doses by the end of January.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine committee recently voted to recommend that the next vaccine rollout phase, dubbed "phase 1b," include people 75 and older, as well as frontline essential workers. Part of the reasoning is that people 75 and older have a higher risk for death and hospitalization due to the coronavirus, while frontline essential workers are more likely to be infected with the virus.

Frontline workers include K-12 teachers and school staff, child care workers, first responders, manufacturing workers, public transit workers, grocery stores workers, corrections workers and U.S. Postal service workers, among others. The CDC estimates there are around 30 million frontline workers in the country.

After that, "phase 1c"of the vaccine should go to people between 65 and 74, those 16 and over with high risk medical diagnoses, as well as other essential workers — Lamont expects that to happen in Connecticut later in the spring, he said. The CDC estimates the other essential workers category has 57 million people. It includes workers in finance, food service, media, legal, waste management and construction, among others.

States have the final say on how vaccine doses are prioritized. Connecticut released its vaccine rollout plan a couple of weeks ago.

Lamont said the state has been following CDC guidelines.

Part of the CDC vaccine committee's rationale behind the recommendations is to reduce mortality by targeting the oldest people first. There have been around 1,118 coronavirus deaths per 100,000 people 85 and older and 366 per 100,000 people between 75 and 84 years old. The rate drops to around 143 for people between 65 and 74 and about 50 for people between 50 and 64.