Mayor Martin Holds Final Stamford COVID-19 Briefing

STAMFORD, CT — With Mayor-elect Caroline Simmons coming into office on Dec. 1, Mayor David Martin held his final COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday.

Since this is the first Thanksgiving with vaccinations and booster shots widely available, and more people are expected to travel, Martin and physicians from Stamford Health urged residents to celebrate the holiday safely as they gather with friends and family on Thursday.

"Thanksgiving is one of the most precious holidays," Martin said. "Give thanks, but let's not give regrets."

The Latest Numbers

Martin's latest update comes on the heels of a recent spike in cases in Stamford. Martin lifted the city's mask mandate in late October, and new cases jumped from 5.4 per day on a seven-day average to 20.3 in a little over a week. Cases have since gone down to 11.3 per day, Martin said.

Last week, Martin's office issued a news release that called on Stamford residents to resume mask wearing.

"We're not imposing a mask mandate, but obviously we're deeply concerned about a potential rise as we go into the holiday season and people come together, and last year, we saw a huge spike," Martin said Tuesday.

Last year at this time, Stamford was experiencing about 85 new cases per day.

Hospitalizations in Stamford have increased over the past two weeks from six on Nov. 9 to 10 as of Nov. 23. There were two patients in the Intensive Care Unit at Stamford Hospital as of Tuesday, Martin said.

Watch Mayor Martin's entire COVID-19 briefing

The city's vaccination rate continues to rise, a point of pride for Martin as he leaves office. He noted that Stamford is first among all large cities in Connecticut.

As of Nov. 17, 80.2 percent of the entire Stamford population was vaccinated, which translates to 83.1 percent when factoring in the 5-11 age range. Utilizing post-census numbers and age 12-plus, the city's vaccination rate is 94 percent, Martin said.

"This is a spectacular thing," Martin said. "I am sincerely proud of this."

COVID-19 In Stamford Public Schools

In Stamford Public Schools, Stamford's Acting Director of Health Jody Bishop-Pullan said the city is monitoring a small rise in cases.

"We saw quite a few cases at the beginning of the school year in September. They came down in October, kind of following the city line, and then it started to rise again a little bit. Not quite as high as September, but we're monitoring this very carefully," she said.

According to the school district's COVID-19 dashboard, there were 30 new COVID-19 cases reported last week.

The district recently implemented Gov. Ned Lamont's Screen & Stay initiative, an optional course of action for staff and students K-12 to stay in school during the 14-day quarantine period.

According to Bishop-Pullan, 20 eligible students and staff who have been close contacts to infections have opted-in to the initiative. None have subsequently tested positive for COVID-19.

Bishop-Pullan said that the program was put in place Nov. 17, so data is limited, and the program's effects will be clearer in the coming weeks.

Celebrating During The Holidays

Dr. Henry Yoon and Dr. Michael Bernstein from Stamford Health went over recommendations on how to celebrate the holidays safely.

The two said hand-hygiene, social distancing and mask-wearing are all tried and true preventative measures. But the most effective measure would be to stay home if you are sick or not feeling well.

"When in doubt, sit it out," Bernstein said. "That will reduce transmission more than anything."

Bernstein and Yoon also highlighted the importance of testing and getting booster shots.

In closing, Martin thanked the community for coming together during the pandemic.

"It's been an honor and a privilege to serve you," he said. "While we haven't been perfect, I believe we've done a very good job of reversing many situations we were faced with. Most importantly, during this pandemic, I'm really proud of the community, healthcare workers, first responders and EMS who did everything to make this community safe."

For full information on testing and vaccination clinics in Stamford, go to the city's website.