State’s 7-day COVID positivity rate tops 8 percent

As COVID-19 activity continues to increase across Connecticut, the state reported Friday that the seven-day positivity rate of new tests had topped 8 percent.

In its daily report Friday, the state said that 4,828 new cases were found in the past seven days among 59,647 tests for a positivity rate of 8.09 percent — the highest since the state switched to a seven-day figure in its reports in recent weeks.

Hospitalizations again ticked up with a net of 27 new patients compared to this time last week. The total number of patients on Friday was 188, according to the state.

Despite any increases in COVID-19 activity, state officials have been resolute when asked if they intend to revive any COVID-19 restrictions to stymie the spread of the virus.

Both Gov. Ned Lamont and Department of Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani have said there is no plan to re-institute a mask mandate, instead saying that residents in Connecticut have the tools to stay safe and can make the decisions for themselves based on their own risk.

Meanwhile, town and city leaders have the ability to set mask mandates within their borders, though none have taken that step at this point.

“I think the municipalities know their constituents really well, know what they need to do to make them feel safe and be safe. We’ll leave that discretion up to them,” Lamont said earlier this week.

Last week, one of the state’s final mask mandates, which required face coverings in hospitals, lapsed. While it’s unclear how long this uptick might persist, some experts believe cases will continue to rise in the near future.

“I think we’re going to see increased cases over the next couple of weeks,” Dr. Scott Roberts, associate medical director of infection prevention at Yale New Haven Hospital, said, though he believes it “won’t be nearly as

bad as it was over the holidays.”