City’s COVID death toll rises
18 fatalities reported this month; first round of vaccines administered
NORWALK — While the city’s COVID case numbers have been declining, seven deaths associated with the disease were recorded this week in one day.
Norwalk has seen an increase in COVID deaths with 18 this month, seven of which were reported on Tuesday. That’s more than all of November when there were four deaths associated with the disease.
“It is with great sadness that I share the news that we have recently lost seven more residents to this virus,” Mayor Harry Rilling said. “These were residents of all different ages, and all were taken from us far too soon. While there may be some light at the end of the tunnel, please remember this virus is still here and can be deadly.”
Rilling noted that while the seven deaths were recorded on Tuesday, the reporting of them
may have been delayed due to the holiday weekend.
“We have over 170 deaths in Norwalk now and if (Tuesday) isn’t the highest number, it’s close to it,” Rilling said.
The first round of COVID-19 vaccines was administered to city employees and volunteers Tuesday, including some school nurses and health department employees, Rilling said.
Those vaccinated fell under the state-mandated first phase of priority coronavirus vaccinations, being medical first responders and health care professionals.
The health department’s supervisor of clinical services, Darleen Hoffler, was the first Norwalk employee to be vaccinated, Rilling said. An emergency response team volunteer administered
the vaccine.
In total, the health department administered 140 Moderna vaccines to health care professionals and volunteers at Norwalk High School Tuesday, Rilling said.
The health department plans to vaccinate another 500 people next week, but officials are looking for a more permanent vaccination location as the high school will return to a hybrid schedule in the new year, Rilling said.
A survey was recently sent to eligible city employees and volunteers on whether they plan to receive the vaccine. About 50 percent of responders indicated they wanted to receive the vaccine, Rilling said.
The first wave of vaccinations began alongside the opening of a second free city-run COVID-19 testing site at Norwalk Community College.
“It is welcomed news that
vaccines are being distributed in Norwalk,” Rilling said. “I remind the public that this is a slow rollout, and while demand is high, the supply is unfortunately limited. We will be strictly following the state’s eligibility criteria of who can be vaccinated when. Please be patient and continue following all public health guidelines: wear a mask, watch your distance, and wash your hands.”
Norwalk’s weekly number of COVID cases peaked
at the end of November and at the start of December when 483 residents tested positive between Nov. 29 and Dec. 5.
There has since been a slight decline in weekly case numbers. From Dec. 6 to Dec. 12, there were 432 cases reported and there were 341 from Dec. 13 to Dec. 19. There were at least 260 cases reported between Dec. 20 and Dec. 26, though the data was incomplete.
The Norwalk Health Department continues to
track the daily positive COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people to allow for standard comparisons between communities.From Dec. 20 to Dec. 26, there were 41.7 daily cases per 100,000 people in Norwalk. For the two weeks between Dec. 13 and Dec. 26, the daily cases per 100,000 was 48.2. The test positivity rate from Dec. 13 to Dec. 26 was 7.3 percent.
These numbers determine Norwalk’s status under state health department guidelines that has designated the
city a “red alert” community since October.
Testing demand in Norwalk remains high. On Tuesday, the Community Health Center in partnership with the city opened a second daily testing site at Norwalk Community College.
The community college and the Veteran’s Park testing sites are open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m