Data: CT surpasses 11,000 COVID deaths
More than 11,000 people in Connecticut have died of COVID-19, the state announced Thursday.
The state Department of Public Health reported Thursday 16 additional deaths in the past week, bringing the Connecticut pandemic total to 11,015.
Gov. Ned Lamont said the deaths marked “another sad milestone” for the state.
Some 11,000 “of our friends, family and neighbors have died from COVID-19,” he said in a tweet. “(My wife) Annie and I pray for those who have lost someone during this difficult time. We know first-hand what it’s like to lose someone close to you from the virus.”
The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020. By the next year, Connecticut saw 7,765 people die with the virus. By March 11, 2022, the number rose to 10,648.
“Connecticut was hit hard in the first few months of the pandemic, but we have done everything we can to keep people safe from the very real impacts of different waves and variants,” Lamont said.
Lamont urged residents to get their vaccines and their booster shots. He also advised Nutmeggers to wear a mask when appropriate and get tested.
The CDC has deemed most of Connecticut to have a “medium” COVID-19 transmission level. Officials have advised individuals in these areas to consider wearing masks, avoid crowds and increase their testing frequency.
As of Thursday, New London County was the only county in the state to have a “low” community level.
Last week, Middlesex had a “high” COVID-19 level, while the other seven counties had either “medium” or “low” levels.
The state’s COVID-19 statistics have been improving in recent weeks as hospitals are seeing fewer infected patients. As of Thursday, there were 273 patients hospitalized with the virus — nine fewer than this time last week.
Of the 273 hospitalized patients, 93 — or 34 percent — are not fully vaccinated, according to the state data.
The seven-day positivity rate rose slightly from 7.98 percent Wednesday to 8.04 percent on Thursday. This was calculated from the 3,494 positive tests of the 43,431 total administered.