Vaccination rate hits 8% for town of New Fairfield

NEW FAIRFIELD — About 8 percent of the town’s population — including 79 percent of those 75 and older — has been vaccinated for the novel coronavirus, according to First Selectman Patricia Del Monaco.

“That’s really great news,” she said during Thursday evening’s Board of Selectmen meeting. “I’m hoping that we can get that remaining 20 percent of the (75-and-older population) vaccinated.”

Del Monaco noted that not all of New Fairfield’s inoculated residents received their shots at the town’s vaccination clinics — the fourth of which was held Thursday.

“We probably vaccinated a dozen — maybe dozen-andhalf — this week,” said Selectman Khris Hall, noting that “the bulk” were 65 and older.

New Fairfield will hold its fifth vaccination clinic Saturday morning, and there were a few slots open as of Thursday evening.

“The clinics are working really, really well. The volunteers that we’ve recruited to staff the front desk, administer the vaccines and just generally to keep the whole thing running smoothly are doing an outstanding job,” Hall said. “It’s been successful beyond what I would have expected.”

The town, which received 100 doses last week and 200 this week, is being “very careful to make sure every last dose is used and nothing is wasted,” Hall said.

She said the town has an order in for 300 doses next week and should know Friday if it will be getting them.

“If so, we will expand the clinic by adding a day, and probably adding an additional vaccination station,” Hall said.

Del Monaco thanked Hall, clinic volunteers and the town’s health director, Tim Simpkins, for all they have done to get the clinic up and

running.

“It’s a good feeling to know the community really has come together in a time of need,” she said.

Del Monaco noted that New Fairfield’s COVID-19 infection rate has been on the decline.

“Our infection rate in New Fairfield this week is 29.9 cases per 100,000 people, which is down from 44.3 cases per 100,000 last week,” she said.

The town has had at least 700 confirmed cases and five COVID-related deaths since last March, according to Thursday’s Connecticut Daily COVID-19 Update.

H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media Anabella Rodrigues, a registered nurse in the Women’s Department at the Connecticut Institute for Communities in Danbury, receives a COVID-19 vaccination from registered nurse Alysa Irizarry, of the Greater Danbury Community Health Center, on Jan. 4.

Kendra Baker / Hearst Connecticut Media Seventy-nine percent of New Fairfield’s 75-and-older population has been vaccinated for COVID-19, First Selectman Patricia Del Monaco announced Thursday.