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 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 19, 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.

*Data on COVID-19 deaths is updated once per week every Thursday.

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 breakthrough cases in Connecticut

The Connecticut Department of Public Health is reporting that as of August 18, 2021, a total of 5,857 cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated persons in Connecticut have been confirmed. Cases of COVID-19 in fully vaccinated individuals are rare. Of the more than two million people in Connecticut who have completed their vaccine series, less than 0.28% of fully vaccinated persons in Connecticut have contracted the virus.

For more data on breakthrough cases in Connecticut, see pages 6, 7, and 8 of this week’s extended COVID-19 data report.

Data updates on vaccine administration in Connecticut

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

As of today, Connecticut residents who have received at least one dose by age group includes:

• 97% of those over the age of 65
• 87% of those between 55-64
• 78% of those between 45-54
• 76% of those between 35-44
• 67% of those between 25-34
• 64% of those between 18-24
• 73% of those between 16-17
• 60% of those between 12-15

Source: Coverage data is based on what is reported to CT WiZ, except the estimated coverage for 65 years and older, which is taken from the CDC COVID Data Tracker.

All Connecticut residents over the age of 12 are currently eligible to receive the vaccines. To locate a vaccination clinic, visit ct.gov/covidvaccine.

Data updates on variants in Connecticut

The following data contains the cumulative number of SARS-CoV-2 variants that have been identified among Connecticut residents as of today:

Variants of concern

• B.1.1.7 (Alpha): 3,370 cases
• B.1.351/B.1.351.2/B.1.351.3 (Beta): 38 cases
• B.1.617.2/AY.1/AY.2/AY.3/AY.4/AY.5/AY.6/AY.7/AY.8/AY.9/AY.10/AY.11/AY.12 (Delta): 569 cases

Variants of interest

• B.1.525 (Eta): 21 cases
• B.1.526 (Iota): 1,126 cases
• B.1.617.1 (Kappa): 3 cases
• B.1.617.3: 0 cases

For more information on variants, see page 9 of this week’s extended COVID-19 data report.

Bi-weekly update on the impact of COVID-19 on nursing homes

The following documents contain the bi-weekly data regarding each of the nursing homes 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. These reports are issued every other Thursday.

Weekly update of the Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 Alert Map: 73 of 169 municipalities in red zone alert level

The Connecticut Department of Public Health today released its weekly COVID-19 Alert Map, which indicates that 73 municipalities are currently in the red zone alert level, the highest of the state’s four alert levels.

The color-coded zones include:

• Red: Indicates case rates over the last two weeks of greater than 15 per 100,000 population
• Orange: Indicates case rates between 10 to 14 cases per 100,000 population
• Yellow: Indicates case rates between 5 and 9 per 100,000 population
• Gray: Indicates 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 afternoon and can be found within the Data Tracker page of the state’s coronavirus website at ct.gov/coronavirus.

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.