Thumbs up, thumbs down

Thumbs up to the rate of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 continuing to move in the right direction. There were 33 fewer state residents hospitalized than in the previous week, which also dropped the total to the lowest it had been since Nov. 8. It was another reminder of just how perilous the holiday season appears to have been in driving up exposure, which should serve as a cautionary tale for the weeks ahead.

Thumbs down, however, to a suggestion of a disturbing trend at nursing homes. While getting vaccinations is the greatest hope for lowering the number of COVID-19 cases, more were documented among the staff at nursing homes than the resident population. It reflects a concern by Gov. Ned Lamont that some staff members have demonstrated a reluctance to getting the shot. We’re still in the early days of vaccine distribution, but it doesn’t bode well if people who work in the health care field set a poor example.

Thumbs up

to a potential building boom in Connecticut. With demand high based in part on city dwellers fleeing COVID-era close quarters, existing homes are being snapped up quickly, especially in the southwestern corner of the state. Analysts say this could lead to a jump in construction, and help counter a trend that has seen the state record flat or declining population trends in recent years. If there’s going to be a run of home construction, though, the right move is to build in a variety of formats, including duplexes and other multifamily buildings. Single-family houses are plentiful in Connecticut, and the best bet for the future is to offer variety, especially in downtowns and close to transit.

Thumbs down to the Carolina Hurricanes. It’s bad enough the National Hockey League team had to follow that time-honored Connecticut tradition of moving to North Carolina, but now it feels like the team is going too far. The former Hartford Whalers, whose 1997 departure marked the end of major professional sports in Connecticut, wore throwback Whalers uniforms on Friday, and announced similar “tributes” to come in the future. In one sense, it’s nice for the team to reflect its history. But for many in the team’s former home state, the wound is still raw 24 years later. Just let us enjoy our minorleague status in peace.