COVID cases tick up in Stamford
City averaged 52 new cases per week as of March, new data show
STAMFORD — Amid the flurry of vaccinerelated hope, Stamford’s weekly average of cases still jumped.
Mayor David Martin announced on Tuesday that Stamford’s average COVID caseload ticked up from 32 to 52 new coronavirus positives per week, even with more vaccine in the community.
“Even as the vaccine has rolled out and we’re beginning to see the hints of spring, nonetheless we still have coronavirus, and it’s very significant in the community,” said Mayor David Martin. About 18 percent of city residents had received at least their first COVID vaccine as of March 8.
The uptick in cases is evident statewide, with
the state averaging 815 new cases per day, according to data released by the Department of Health on March 14.
“Now is not the time to relax on covering our faces or doing our masking,” said Stamford Health Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Bailey. Even though more positive cases have sprung up around the community, the coronavirus caseload at Stamford Health remains steady, with 13 patients and 3 in the intensive care unit.
Even with the uptick, Martin tried to point the city toward a brighter, virusfree future. The city opened its latest vaccine clinic — a “super site” in the South End — on Monday. Bailey said that the site could inoculate about 7,000 people a week by April 5th, when residents 45 and younger become eligible for the vaccine.
The clinic, located at Building and Land Technology’s 1 Elmcroft property, vaccinated 288 people on its first day. The figure should roughly double in the coming week, when the clinic expands its operating hours.
The super site will run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays starting March 22.
While Stamford Health has set its sights on 7,000 doses weekly in the near future, officials from both BLT and the hospital have espoused loftier goals.
Hospital spokesperson Andie Jodko confirmed that, contingent on supply from the state, the Elmcroft site could vaccinate 3,000 people a day.
Over 76,000 doses have been administered in Stamford since vaccine rollout began, most through the partnership run by Stamford Health and the city.
The hospital has administered over 48,000 doses so far, and the drivethrough location operated by Community Health Center has dispensed about 27,500. On a smaller scale, a clinic run by Optimus HealthCare provided approximately 1,000 doses.