Nursing homes see surge in COVID cases, deaths.
New COVID cases among patients of Connecticut nursing homes more than doubled over the past two weeks, state data shows, as the highly infectious delta variant has caused infections to surge statewide.
The state’s bi-weekly report on nursing home cases and deaths, released Thursday, showed 118 new cases were reported among residents in the last two weeks, up from 50 during the previous two weeks. There were 10 more deaths reported in the past two weeks among patients — seven more than were reported the previous two weeks.
Thursday’s report also shows 97 new cases among nursing home staff over the last two weeks, up from 48 in the two weeks prior.
Seabury Health Center, a nursing home in Bloomfield, reported 13 new cases among its 46 residents in the last two weeks, while two of them died. Newtown Rehabilitation & Health Care Center in Newtown and Maple View Health and Rehabilitation Center in Rocky Hill both reported two deaths each in the last two weeks.
Nursing homes and other long term care facilities have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. At one point last year, deaths among residents of longterm care facilities comprised nearly three-quarters of all the state’s COVID-19 deaths.
Because nursing homes were among the very earliest recipients of COVID-19 vaccines when shots became available late last year, residents and staff will likely be among the first to receive booster shots this fall.
Federal health officials announced Wednesday fully vaccinated Americans should begin receiving a third shot of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine eight months after their initial doses. Health officials said recipients of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will likely need boosters, but are waiting for more data.
By that measure, some residents and staff of nursing homes would be eligible for booster shots by Sept. 20, when state officials said the federal announcement will take effect. The first shots in Connecticut were distributed on Dec. 18, 2020 at The Reservoir, a nursing home in West Hartford.
The state is already offering booster shots for people with compromised immune systems who may need the extra protection afforded by an additional shot.
The surge of cases at nursing homes comes as infections are increasing in Connecticut and around the nation, prompting state and local leaders to resort to vaccine mandates.
Connecticut reported on Friday a daily positivity rate of 3.13 percent of new COVID cases and two more people hospitalized, increasing the statewide total to 346.
In Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Thursday state employees, teachers and early childhood workers will have to vaccinate or face weekly testing. The governor had previously ordered workers at nursing homes to vaccinate by Sept. 7 without a testing exemption, and with hefty fines for homes that don’t comply.
In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday student athletes and coaches in “high risk” sports will need to get at least one dose of vaccine before playing competitively, the Associated Press reported. The category includes football, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, lacrosse, rugby and bowling.
All eight Connecticut counties meet the threshold for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance for everyone to wear masks indoors. With the exception of Litchfield, Tolland and Windham counties, all of Connecticut is considered to have a “high” transmission of the virus.
As of Thursday, 73 out of the state’s 169 municipalities were painted red on its color-coded map, the highest alert level from the state, which uses a slightly different metric than the CDC.
“Delta’s thrown us a curve, we have some extra innings to go,” Lamont said Thursday. “But before you say, ‘Oh my God, here we go again,’ I want you to know we are in so much better of a position as a state and as a country than we were during that fall flare-up and where we were ... 16 months ago.”