‘We need to see a drop’
Danbury’s COVID rate ‘concerning’ as schools evaluate return
DANBURY — The spread of the coronavirus in the city is not as severe as it was about a month ago, but has not declined as much as health officials would like.
“What we’re seeing in the community right now is still what we consider to be a concerning transmission rate of COVID,” Kathy O’Dowd, the school district’s health and nursing services coordinator, said at Wednesday’s school board meeting.
The city saw nine new cases Wednesday, 23 on Tuesday, six on Monday and 11 on Sunday. The week of Aug. 16 had 135 cases. Free COVID testing and flu vaccinations will be offered from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Rogers Park Middle School.
“I’m not happy with where they are right now,” Mayor Mark Boughton said. “We need to see a drop. We’re not seeing a drop. I would argue we’ve plateaued a little bit, but we’re not where we need to be.”
The ongoing news cases include those among children, which means it is still not safe for students to return to the classrooms, health officials said. However, officials hope schools could start on the hybrid model in mid-to-late October.
“We’re prepared,” O’Dowd said. “It’s just a matter of community numbers trending down and we’re not seeing that yet.”
Superintendent Sal Pascarella said the district could look into phasing into the hybrid model, perhaps having kindergarten through third-graders return initially.
“I don’t think you can have onesize fits all here,” he said.
Administrators will meet Friday with local medical professionals to dive deeper into the numbers and discuss how they will affect school reopening.
“Our numbers have stabilized since Aug. 21,” said Kara Prunty, acting director of health. “We’ve trended down a little bit, but we have not seen a consistent trend down.”
The city’s positivity rate has stayed between 5 to 6 percent in recent weeks, she said.
“That’s a concerning level for us,” she said.
The goal is to be at 1 percent or below, Boughton said.
The city’s seven-day rolling average is 14 new cases per a population of 100,000, Prunty said. That is what the state considers to be a “moderate” infection level that could allow districts to operate on a hybrid model.
But the district has wanted to be more cautious because of its high enrollment and overcrowded buildings, O’Dowd said.
Some elementary-school children and a “significant number” of youth at the secondary level are testing positive, she said.
“For that reason, at this time we’re still very concerned about being able to open with a hybrid model,” O’Dowd said.
Those who are getting sick are a mix of people with and without symptoms, Prunty said. Hospitalizations crept up statewide on Tuesday and Wednesday, but are down locally, she said.
Meanwhile, the state will open Friday the Lattins Cove boat launch on Candlewood Lake at 50 percent capacity after closing it at the end of August.
Boughton said residents have “COVID fatigue.” Contact tracing has shown spread from small parties and family gatherings, including on Labor Day weekend.
“We’re seeing that there were large gatherings,” O’Dowd said. “People are not wearing masks. They’re not social distancing.”
Health officials emphasized that residents should wear masks, wash hands and avoid large groups.
“People have been hearing this message over and over again,” Prunty said. “It’s background noise at this point. I urge you to take it seriously, so we can get our numbers down and have the ability to open safely.”