U.S. Marks 1 Million COVID-19 Deaths, Including 10,900 In CT

CONNECTICUT — Connecticut joined the rest of the U.S. in remembering the more than one million American lives lost to COVID-19 Thursday.

Connecticut announced its first official COVID-19 death on March 18, 2020. Since then, the state has lost nearly 10,900 lives to the virus.

The state reported more than 9,600 cases over the past seven days and a 13.24 percent positive test rate. Nearly 160 towns are in the state’s highest warning level for COVID-19 infections.

Gov. Ned Lamont offered his condolences to those who lost loved ones to COVID-19. He ordered all state and municipal flags lowered to half-staff, following President Joe Biden’s order to fly the U.S. flag at half-staff.

“I urge everyone to remain vigilant against this disease,” he said in a statement. “Use the many tools that are widely available across our state to fight this virus. Get vaccinated, get boosted. Every day, we are reminded that we are all in this together, and like any large family, we must look out and care for one another.”

President Joe Biden said each of the one million lives lost was irreplaceable, and that many Americans are struggling with the grief of an empty chair at the dinner table.

“As a nation, we must not grow numb to such sorrow,” Biden said. “To heal, we must remember. We must remain vigilant against this pandemic and do everything we can to save as many lives as possible, as we have with more testing, vaccines, and treatments than ever before.”

Biden also called on Congress to approve more funding for COVID-19 testing and other resources.