5 things to know about COVID in CT: Cases continue to climb

The CEO of Moderna, one of the leading companies working on a coronavirus vaccine, said this week the company plans to submit its vaccine candidate to the FDA in January 2021.

Here are the most important things to know about COVID in Connecticut.

This story will be updated regularly with the latest on COVID-19 in Conncticut and beyond. Check back later for more.

Oct. 2 Connecticut’s COVID-19 cases continue to climb

On Oct. 2, the state of Connecticut announced 460 new cases, two more deaths and three more hospitalizations. The positivity rate (the percentage of total tests that are positive) is at 1.36 percent.

Norwich issued a COVID-19 alert after outbreak of positive cases

The state has issued a COVID-19 alert for the town of Norwich “following a recent spike in cases in the area in the last two weeks,” Gov. Ned Lamont said in a tweet Friday morning. The state Department of Public Health said that Norwich recorded at least 84 new coronavirus cases in mid-September to raise the daily case rate to 24 per 100,000, the highest rate in the state. “This is a significant increase in cases in Norwich we need to focus everyone’s attention on,” said Acting DPH Commissioner Deidre S. Gifford in a release.

Moderna says vaccine could be ready by March 2021

The CEO of Moderna, one of the leading companies working on a coronavirus vaccine, said this week the company plans to submit its vaccine candidate to the FDA in January 2021, at the earliest, with an expected vaccine ready for public consumption no earlier than March or April of next year.

Kids are efficient virus spreaders, study says

Here’s a little more about superspreaders: A study of 575,071 people who had been exposed to confirmed COVID-19 patients — the largest such study ever — found that children and young adults in particular were good at spreading the virus. “Kids are very efficient transmitters in this setting, which is something that hasn’t been firmly established in previous studies,” said lead researcher Ramanan Laxminarayan.

Blumenthal getting tested after potential exposure at White House

President Donald Trump has tested positive and is experiencing mild symptoms of COVID-19. Following his diagnosis, a string of White House officials along with Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, have chosen to get tested. Sen. Chris Murphy stated the White House could now be a “superspreading site,” according to the New Haven Independent.