Hamden Experiencing Spike In Coronavirus Cases, Now At 11 Deaths

HAMDEN, CT — Like in communities around Connecticut and the United States, Hamden is experiencing a surge in positive cases of the coronavirus as well as deaths, especially in recent days. In a Facebook Live virtual Town Hall Wednesday night, Mayor Curt Leng announced that 11 people have died from the virus and 342 people have tested positive. Leng said the town’s death toll nearly doubled from Tuesday to Wednesday and that an additional 30 cases were announced in the same time frame.

"(Tuesday) was not a good night for people who got sick in Hamden," Leng said in the video.

Leng told residents that he does not have specific information of where deaths are taking place, whether it be in nursing homes or other residential environments. Reports of the numbers themselves, Leng said, are passed from the local health district or hospital to Leng and Fire Chief Gary P. Merwede. Merwede then puts then puts more detailed information into the town’s 911 dispatch system that provides information to first responders about specific locations.

Leng said while heavier caseloads are found in more populated areas, 20-25 percent of confirmed diagnosis are coming from area nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Leng said he has been told by health officials that the percentages of people testing positive in these environments are not atypical. Leng said of the 11 people who have died, half have been in residential homes with the remainder occurring in nursing or medical facilities.

Leng said that the town is planning on issuing a map that provides detailed locations of where positive cases and deaths have taken place across the town's various fire districts.