Town’s COVID numbers continue positive trend

GREENWICH — The COVID-19 vaccination program in Greenwich is running “extremely well” and can handle any increase in demand in coming weeks as more residents become eligible for vaccines, a Greenwich Hospital official said Wednesday afternoon.

“Things are going really well,” said Diane Kelly, hospital president. Greenwich Hospital is not looking to expand to more sites “because we’re not running at full capacity every day of the week at our existing (vaccine) locations” at its West Putnam Avenue office and the Brunswick School campus in King Street.

“The only limitation to us running at full capacity is having the vaccine in hand,” Kelly said. “We will be able to ramp up as soon as we get more doses — and when we do get them, we flex our schedule immediately. “

“Things are going really well.” Greenwich Hospital President Diane Kelly

The federal government is increasing the allocations of the vaccines to Connecticut, which distributes them to municipalities such as Greenwich and health systems such as Yale New Haven, she said, as the town continues to see a decrease in the number of new coronavirus cases.

“Everybody is so happy to be able to get an appointment and so grateful when we see them,” she said.

Three different vaccines are currently available. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines require two doses, while the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine needs only one shot.

When residents reserve a time to get the vaccine with Yale New Haven Health System, the website indicates which vaccine will be administered. Residents are happy to receive any vaccine, Kelly said.

“The real proof is how quickly we are filling all our appointments. It’s very clear when you’re signing up for a day of Johnson & Johnson and those are going as fast as any other appointment for the other kinds of vaccines,” she said. “We’re not seeing any kind of hesitancy.”

For local vaccinations, the town of Greenwich continues to operate its clinic three days a week at Town Hall, Director of Health Caroline Baisley said. And Family Centers Inc. runs its clinic weekdays at the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center.

Coronavirus in town

As of Wednesday, there were 106 coronavirus cases in town considered “active” by the town Department of Health, which is down 29 cases from last week.

And another resident has died after being diagnosed with the virus, bringing the town’s death toll to 83 in the past year.

Overall, 4,123 coronavirus cases have been reported in Greenwich since the pandemic began a year ago, but the rate of new cases has slowed in recent weeks, according to local officials.

As of Wednesday, Greenwich Hospital was treating 14 patients with COVID-19, down from 21 hospitalized on March 3 and 28 on Feb. 24, Kelly said. Two COVID patients were in the intensive care unit, she said.

“We are trending in the right direction,” Kelly said. “These numbers continue to trend down so we are remaining very hopeful. We are also seeing the number trend down the Yale New Haven Health System, so it’s all good news.”

With the positive trend in the coronavirus numbers, Greenwich Hospital is now allowing limited visitors for non-COVID patients. Visiting hours available from 2 to 6 p.m., with patients allowed one visitor per day. Visitors must check in at the hospital’s main desk and be cleared of any risk factors.

The hospital’s visitation policy will be reopened in phases, Kelly said.

Continue with safety precautions

Despite the high demand for vaccinations and the lower number of cases, the town and Greenwich Hospital continue to urge residents to take precautions by wearing masks, practicing social distancing, washing hands and wiping down surfaces to keep the virus from spreading.

With warmer weather this week, residents are enjoying the town’s outdoor dining. And last week, Gov. Ned Lamont announced that restrictions on capacity limits will be eliminated as of March 19 at restaurants, gyms, museums, houses of worship, retail stores and more, but mask wearing and social distancing will still be required.

“We don’t want people to end up getting a false sense of security just because they have a vaccine,” said Barbara Heins, executive assistant to the first selectman. “People still need to follow the protocols. We want people to go out and enjoy the nice weather we’re having but also be cognizant that this is not going away any time soon and we do need to follow what we’ve been doing for the past year.”

To sign up for a vaccination at Greenwich Hospital, visit www.nhhs.org/covidvaccine. For an appointment at the town or Family Centers’ clinic, visit dphsubmissions.ct.gov/online vaccine.