Metrics highest since spring

Positivity rate, hospital cases keep climbing as delta surge continues

Connecticut’s coronavirus positivity rate stands at its highest level since mid-april, state numbers show, while the state has more patients hospitalized with COVID-19 than at any point since mid-may.

Hartford and New Haven counties are currently classified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as having “high” COVID-19 transmission, while Connecticut’s other six counties are described as having “substantial” transmission. Based on those designations, people in all eight counties are advised to wear masks in public indoor spaces.

Officials continue to emphasize the importance of vaccination in reversing Connecticut’s recent uptick in cases and hospitalizations, particularly given the growing presence of the highly contagious delta variant.

“This remains a pandemic of the unvaccinated at this point,” said Dr. Ulysses Wu, an infectious disease specialist at Hartford Healthcare. “We are seeing some spillover into the vaccinated population, but with regards to critical illness, it remains an unvaccinated issue at this point.”

Cases and positivity rate: Connecticut on Monday reported 1,287 new COVID-19 cases out of 38,702 tests since Friday, for a positivity rate of 3.33%. The state’s seven-day positivity rate has continued to increase in recent weeks and currently stands at 3.17% — highest of any

time since April 15.

Connecticut has averaged 475 COVID-19 cases per day over the past week, most in any seven-day period since early May.

After declining sharply in the spring, COVID-19 testing in Connecticut has picked up slightly in recent weeks, with the state now reporting about 15,000 new tests a day.

“There is truly an increase, not just throughout the state of Connecticut but also across the country,” said Keith Grant, Hartford Healthcare’s senior system director for infection prevention. “Individuals are now seeing more individuals around them becoming positive for COVID-19, so a lot of people are testing out of curiosity or some people might be testing out of fear.”

Hospitalizations: As of Monday, Connecticut has 208 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, up 34 from Friday and the highest daily count since May 13.

Hospital officials say most patients seriously ill with COVID-19 have not been vaccinated against the disease.

“The sad part is that we are managing so many patients right now because some segment of the community is still unvaccinated, and we are seeing those individuals coming to the hospital,” said Dr. Ajay Kumar, Hartford Healthcare’s chief clinical officer.

Vaccinations: As of Monday, 71% of all Connecticut residents and 81.4% of those 12 and older have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, while 63.9% of all residents and 73.4% of those 12 and older are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

After slowing dramatically earlier this summer, vaccination in Connecticut has increased slightly in recent weeks, likely in response to the uptick in cases. The state administered about 38,000 vaccine doses from July 25 to 31, the most recent period for which data is available, up from about 31,000 the first week of July.