Coronavirus Hamden: 1st Case Confirmed, Hundreds More Expected

HAMDEN, CT — A Hamden resident has tested positive for the new coronavirus, officials confirmed Monday. The town's first case of COVID-19 was first reported in the state's town-by-town update on Sunday.

Officials told the New Haven Independent that the patient, whose age wasn't disclosed, is recovering at home under a physician's direction and the Quinnipiack Valley Health District has been notified.

In an update Monday evening, Mayor Curt Balzano Leng said that while this positive test was the first official in Hamden, “we not only know there are more cases in our Town, but have been functioning under the presumption that COVID-19 was here in Hamden for weeks, as soon as the State Health Officials advised it was prudent to presume this.”

Leng said that he doesn’t consider Hamden having one case, but “we need to understand that we have at least 200 cases in our community.” He also said that recent studies have shown that each individual is likely to spread it to three people each until all people are fully restricted from their interactions with others. In that case, Hamden could have 600 people with the virus now, or within days.

Leng wrote the following message to the Hamden community on Facebook on Monday night:

By: Mayor Curt Balzano Leng

As you may already know, Hamden had its first individual who tested positive for the Coronavirus 19. We wish the very best for the person who caught the virus and offer our concern and hopefully the prayers of our entire Hamden community for swift recovery.

While this positive test was the first official in Hamden, we not only know there are more cases in our Town, but have been functioning under the presumption that COVID-19 was here in Hamden for weeks, as soon as the State Health Officials advised it was prudent to presume this.

Hamden has taken actions across our government that designed to reduce the number of people exposed and slow the spread of this extremely contagious and potentially lethal virus.

We will continue to take actions every day and to enforce both the State’s Shut Down “Stay Safe, Stay Home” efforts and Hamden Emergency Orders that further restrict gatherings to be of no more than 10 individuals, efforts to keep social distancing strictly enforced at Town buildings and parks and more.

However, these actions alone will not be enough to stop the spread - we can’t do this alone. Everyone has to be a part of the solution and that means taking the recommended steps so you don’t catch the virus and if you do so you won’t spread it to someone who could end up losing their life.

I am desperately hoping that all of our residents fully realize now that this virus is directly in our community. Further, please understand something very important.

We do not only have one person in Hamden with coronavirus. State officials stated last week we should assume for every one positive case, there are 100 additional people who have the virus, they just aren’t reported as positive Coronavirus cases because they haven’t been tested. An hour ago, the State’s chief medical expert said for every tested positive there are actually hundreds who actually are infected with the virus.

So, I don’t consider Hamden to have one case, we need to understand that we have at least 200 cases in our community. And of the people who have the virus, recent studies have shown that each individual are likely to spread it to 3 people each until we have all people fully restricted from their interactions with one another’s whenever and wherever possible. Since this isn’t the case yet, as I watch people stopping for coffee and being together in small areas, groups gathering for sports and making contact, seeing crowds at stores when we need to spread people out away from each other, just to follow the clear Center for Disease Control & Prevention stated direction of staying a minimum of 6 feet apart to reduce the spread, and as the limited shut down doesn’t occur until tonight, for these reasons and many more we should assume that our 200 potential cases have already unknowingly infested three people each and therefore we could have 600 people with the virus in Hamden now or within days.

That means 1% of our local Hamden population likely has the Coronavirus.

This number is going to continue to increase dramatically until extreme social distancing is embraced and followed by all of our residents.

The experts advise that unless we really shut down contact, likely 20% of the population will get the virus and this is their conservative estimate. For Hamden, that would be roughly 12,400 people. It will mean people you know, people in your family, people in your friends and neighbors’ families.

I can’t stress strongly enough that you have an opportunity right now in this moment to take simple actions that could save the lives of many, the lives of members of your family and of your friends and neighbors families, but to accomplish this and avoid a crisis the likes of which many of us have never seen or even contemplated, we have to change our behaviors, understand the seriousness of the new normal of fully avoiding contact and take efforts to increase cleaning and sanitization of yourself and commonly used surfaces and staying home if you are sick at all costs. We can truly only do this together.

Please stay home and away from other people unless absolutely necessary. This goes for residents of all ages, both because if you catch the virus you can pass it to people at higher risk and because there are many people in our state who are younger and are experiencing severe infections requiring hospitalization. As of yesterday, the highest level of positives was in the 40-49 age bracket.

Your actions, your personal decisions, your respect following the State and Town Orders will save the life of someone you know or love.

In this very strange moment in our history, you have potentially a once in a lifetime opportunity to be a true superhero and save lives. All it takes is knowing you have this power and taking the responsibility of this awesome power, following health experts’ guidelines, exceeding precautions and smart judgement and embracing inconveniences in favor of the public good and our public health. The very life safety of our entire community is counting on us both. Are you ready, we can do this.

For more information on the coronavirus, please visit the CDC.com website and from your actions on with the town is doing associated with this health emergency and how you might be able to help please visit Hamden.com and click on the coronavirus page.

God bless you, have a good evening and please be safe.

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See also: Leng Implores Residents To ‘Get Serious’ About Coronavirus