Governor Lamont Provides Update on Connecticut’s Coronavirus Response Efforts

(HARTFORD, CT) – As the State of Connecticut continues taking actions in response to the global spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Governor Ned Lamont provided the following updates as of 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 21, 2021:

Data updates on testing in Connecticut

The following is a summary of the day-to-day newly reported data on cases, deaths, and tests in Connecticut. It is important to note that these newly reported updates include data that occurred over the last several days to a week. All data in this report are preliminary, and data for previous dates will be updated as new reports are received and data errors are corrected.

County-by-county breakdown of current COVID-19 hospitalizations:

For a series of interactive graphs and maps that provide additional data, including metrics related to age, gender, and race/ethnicity, as well as data broken down by every town and city in Connecticut, visit ct.gov/coronavirus and click the link that is labeled, “Data Tracker.”

Data updates on vaccine administration in Connecticut

The following data represents the total number of COVID-19 vaccinations administered in Connecticut, as reported to the state as of today:

• First doses administered: 226,930
• Second doses administered: 31,337
• Total doses administered: 258,267

Connecticut is currently in phase 1b of its COVID-19 vaccination program. Right now under this phase, residents over the age of 75 can receive the vaccine. Soon, the phase will expand to include residents between the ages of 65 and 74, and residents between the ages of 16 and 64 who have underlying health conditions. Residents and staff of congregate settings and frontline essential workers will soon also become eligible during this phase.

Information on Connecticut’s COVID-19 vaccination program is available at ct.gov/covidvaccine.

Weekly update on the impact of COVID-19 on nursing homes and assisted living facilities

The following documents contain the weekly data regarding each of the nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Connecticut that have reported positive cases of COVID-19 among their residents. The data is presented as it was reported to the state by each of the facilities.

Weekly update of the Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 Alert Map: 164 municipalities in red zone alert level

The Connecticut Department of Public Health today released its weekly COVID-19 Alert Map, which indicates that 164 of 169 towns and cities in Connecticut are currently in the red zone alert level, the highest of the state’s four alert levels.

The only municipalities in the state that are not in the red zone this week are Canaan, Colebrook, Cornwall, Norfolk, and Warren, all of which are in the gray alert level.

The red zone indicates municipalities that have an average daily COVID-19 case rate over the last two weeks of greater than 15 per 100,000 population. The orange zone indicates those that have case rates between 10 to 14 cases per 100,000 population. The yellow zone indicates municipalities that have case rates between 5 and 9 per 100,000 population, and those indicated in gray have case rates lower than five per 100,000 population.

The weekly alert map is also accompanied by a chart that provides guidance on recommended actions based on the alert levels for individual residents; institutions such as schools, houses of worship, and community organizations; and municipal leaders and local health directors.

The COVID-19 Alert Map is updated every Thursday around 4:00 p.m. and can be found in the Data Tracker page of the state’s coronavirus website at ct.gov/coronavirus.

Two more cases of COVID-19 variant identified in Connecticut

The Connecticut Department of Public Health and the State Public Health Laboratory have confirmed that two more cases of the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7 have been detected in Connecticut. This is the same variant initially discovered in the United Kingdom.

Both of the newly identified cases are family members of one of the initial two individuals who were identified earlier this month through genomic testing to have the UK variant of the virus.

The Department of Public Health is continuing to work with the State Laboratory and partner surveillance laboratories to monitor for the presence of the variant in Connecticut.

Providing information to Connecticut residents

For the most up-to-date information from the State of Connecticut on COVID-19, residents are encouraged to visit ct.gov/coronavirus. Residents can also subscribe to text message alerts from the state by texting the keyword COVIDCT to 888-777.

Individuals who have general questions that are not answered on the website can call 2-1-1 for assistance. The hotline is available 24 hours a day and has multilingual assistance. Anyone who is out-of-state or requires a toll-free number can connect to Connecticut 2-1-1 by dialing 1-800-203-1234. This is intended to be used by individuals who are not experiencing symptoms but may have general questions related to COVID-19. Anyone who is experiencing symptoms are strongly urged to contact their medical provider.