‘It’s what we expected’
More COVID-19 cases, deaths reported in Greenwich
GREENWICH — The number of cases of COVID-19 and related deaths continue to rise in Greenwich as the year comes to a close, according First Selectman Fred Camillo.
There were 189 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Greenwich in the past week, with four more deaths in town, Camillo said Wednesday during his last weekly coronavirus
update for 2020. The week prior, 135 cases and three deaths were reported.
Since the start of the pandemic, 2,432 residents have tested positive for the coronavirus and 67 residents have died, Camillo said.
“Hopefully ... in 2021 things will get a little better with each week, each passing month,” he said. “And I think it will. I really do.”
The news, however, was not entirely bad. Greenwich Hospital was treating 37 COVID patients as of noon Wednesday, four fewer than last week. Yale New Haven Health System, of which Greenwich Hospital is a member, is currently treating 324 COVID patients, compared with 391 last week, across all its facilities.
The Pfizer vaccine has also been more widely distributed. At Greenwich Hospital, 1,700 employees have been vaccinated, with more slated to get their shot in the coming days. In total, nearly 12,000 employees throughout the Yale New Haven Health System had been vaccinated as of Wednesday.
Even still, December has been a challenging month of the pandemic, with some of the highest week-over-week increases in COVID cases since the height of the pandemic’s first wave in April.
Elected officials and health care providers are bracing for an expected post-holiday bump in cases. Camillo said he is certainly fearful of seeing a continued uptick in the coming weeks, as a result of Christmas and New Year’s gatherings. But he said that the town was basically keeping pace with predictions when it
came to the scope of the pandemic.
“It could be a lot worse,” Camillo said.
“But it’s what we expected and the fact overall that December was a very active month for cases was what everybody was warning about and predicting. We’re where we thought we would be.”
Ahead of New Year’s Eve, Camillo also urged residents to continue to adhere to social distancing rules and to limit the size of gatherings.
“Try, if you can, to do it with people you’re close with,” he said. “Stay away from large gatherings and people who are unfamiliar to you. ... Keep your masks on. Keep your distance. Wash your hands. We’re still not there yet, and I do think most will adhere to that.”