The New 'Big Bad': Coronavirus Variant Triggers Alarm In CT

CONNECTICUT — The future may not be so bright that you have to wear shades, as the old song boasted, but there's no doubt that things are looking up as the state coronavirus stats are trending downward. That is, if we manage to dodge the bullet that is the UK variant.

Gov. Ned Lamont said he will decide by early this week on possibly lifting restaurant curfews and church capacity limits as coronavirus cases in the state decrease. Currently, the state has a 9:30 p.m. last call curfew and restaurants must close for dine-in service by 10 p.m., and places of worship are forbidden to fill beyond 50 percent capacity.

Lamont's restriction relaxation, if it happens, would come swiftly on the heels of similar necktie-loosening in neighboring Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Connecticut surpassed 250,000 reported coronavirus cases Friday, which is around seven percent of the state's population. The true number is higher since not every case is caught, especially during the early days of the pandemic when testing was very limited. Another grim milestone, the state's 7,000th COVID-19 associated death, was recorded on Thursday.

The state's two-week average positive test rate dropped to 6.8 percent between Jan. 10 and 23 — it was 7.9 percent for the previous two-week reporting period and hasn't been below seven percent since mid to-late November. The daily average dipped to 1.58 percent on Jan. 17, as low as it has been since the beginning of October.

Connecticut also saw a significant plunge in net coronavirus hospitalizations, which brought the total hospitalized to 985 as of Thursday. The governor has frequently cited the number of hospital beds filled with COVID-19 patients as the key metric guiding decisions on how "open" or "closed" the state can be.

A new key metric may not just be how many are laid up with the coronavirus, but what flavor. Three highly transmissible coronavirus variants have been confirmed in the United States. On Monday, Lamont told reporters he was particularly worried about the so-called UK variant. There were eight confirmed cases of it in Connecticut as of that news conference, but the total is likely much higher, he said.

Lamont has also looked over the pond for cues to what his state might next expect for the state's school districts, and that's proving a grim exercise. The UK closed down schools due to a high number of infections linked to the variant. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has set a target date of March 8 for schools to resume in-person learning, according to the BBC.

In Connecticut, cases in the school districts rose sharply after the first of the year, but have begun a downward trend moving into February.

The vagaries surrounding the variants (Will the vaccine work on them as well? Probably. Why are they so contagious? No clue.) They are still so pronounced that some health officials have begun advocating wearing two masks.

Napoleonic, or necessary?

As Lamont contemplates whether to relax restrictions on churches and restaurants, there are many in Hartford miffed that it's still his call at all. State Republican leaders were critical this week of the governor's extension of the state's public health and civil preparedness emergencies to April 20.

The orders give Lamont broad power to respond to the pandemic and modify or close businesses. He signed numerous executive orders in March and April 2020 when the pandemic was unfolding in Connecticut, but has since slowed down and hasn't signed an order in a month and a half.

Democratic leaders said they feared Connecticut could lose access to some vaccine supply if the emergency powers were ended. Republicans proposed a compromise which included a full legislative vote if Lamont wants to extend his powers again, a 10-day warning for businesses when capacity is reduced or they are ordered to close and an elimination on the cap of people who can attend a worship service.

Help is On The Way, But How Much and by When?

It all becomes moot once herd immunity is achieved, and with the federal government still trying to get a handle on the coronavirus vaccine rollout nationwide, don't look for that any day soon.

But cross your fingers, as the feds promised last week to increase the number of vaccine vials shipped. This week, the Biden Administration has promised states they will start to receive a 16 percent increase in coronavirus vaccine doses. Connecticut surpassed 300,000 total coronavirus vaccines administered this past week, but demand continues to greatly outstrip supply.

Connecticut will use its extra helping of doses for the 75 and over population in underserved communities, Lamont said. The state will be guided by the social vulnerability index crafted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to determine those communities. There has been around a two-thirds drop in nursing home cases, but deaths in the facilities are spiking upward.

As of Thursday, around 35 percent of residents 75 years old and older have received their first dose of the vaccine, Lamont said. The state forecasts that it will take at least another week of focusing on the 75 and older population before opening the vaccine up to those 65 and over.

Connecticut will start vaccinations at prisons on Monday starting with staff and inmates who are 75 and older. The state will also roll out mobile vaccination clinics to senior housing.

Connecticut is also making headway improving the vaccine appointment hotline. Average wait times are now below three minutes and appointments are available at six sites throughout the state. Your best bet is still the online Vaccine Administration Management System, which offers a much broader range of appointment sites.