The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
DPH warns schools of highly contagious COVID strain
The state’s epidemiologist has warned Connecticut school administrators of the potential threat of a COVID-19 variant that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expects to be the dominant strain here by March.
During a weekly call with school superintendents, State Epidemiologist Dr. Matt Cartter gave an update on the variants, Department of Public Health spokeswoman Maura Fitzgerald said.
“He included in his comments actions that other countries have taken as a result of the transmission of the variant, and shared that these were among the responses that might be entertained in the U.S. if the U.K. or other variant were to become the predominant strain,” Fitzgerald said.
The U.K. has closed schools to most students in response to soaring infection rates. Prime Minister Boris Johnson indicated Wednesday schools might reopen in early March, the Associated Press reported.
In his comments during the call, Cartter also noted the CDC “expects the variant to become the predominant virus in the U.S. by March,” Fitzgerald said. “He did not advise that people in Connecticut prepare for a shutdown here or make any assertions about what impact there may or may not be here in Connecticut.”
In a letter sent to faculty and families Wednesday, Ridgefield Superintendent Susie Da Silva said state health officials warned of the new variant during the call.
"The Connecticut Department of Public Health has informed school districts to be prepared for the possibility of full remote learning in March due to the potential of a more infectious variant of the virus becoming prevalent in Connecticut,” Da Silva wrote to the Ridgefield school community.
Patrice McCarthy, deputy director and general counsel for Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, was among those on the call and said she interpreted the message to mean schools could go remote on a regional basis rather than statewide like what happened last sping.
“I think superintendents, board members — everyone recognizes that they need continue to be flexible” based on medical and scientific advice, McCarthy said. “As important as it is to keep students in school, we’re not going to do that if it’s unhealthy.”
As confirmed cases of a COVID-19 mutation increase in Connecticut, health experts say the basic precautions of wearing a mask and social distancing are the best defense against the highly contagious strain.
“Until we get the entire population vaccinated, we have to stay safe,” said Dr. Zane Saul, Bridgeport Hospital’s chief of infectious disease. “We anticipate these strains are going to show up, and we need to keep up best practices everywhere.”
Connecticut health officials reported on Wednesday there were 2,440 new COVID infections found in 55,474 new tests for a one-day positivity rate of 4.4 percent. There were also 52 fewer hospitalizations, dropping the statewide total to 1,016.
But dozens of new deaths were also reported, with 42 more fatalities attributed to the virus, bringing the state’s death toll to 6,976.
Gov. Ned Lamont announced Monday that there had been four more cases of the highly contagious United Kingdom variant detected in Connecticut, bringing the state’s total to at least eight. The announcement came a few days after Johnson held a news conference where his chief scientific adviser said the variant is not only more contagious than the original, but potentially more deadly.
During that event, Sir Patrick Vallance, the scientific officer, said the previous COVID death rate among people in their 60s was 10 deaths for every 1,000 people who tested positive. But, he said, there has been evidence the death rate among that age group has increased to 13 to 14 deaths for every 1,000 since the new variant has been discovered.
However, Vallance cautioned, it remains unknown if the new variant is causing the increased death rate. He said the “evidence is not yet strong.”
Even if the virus doesn’t prove to be more deadly, it’s still between 30 and 70 percent more contagious and that’s reason for concern, experts said.
“It’s very likely that the U.K. strain is going to end up being the dominant strain in the United States,” based on how infectious it is, said Dr. Fred Browne, vice president of medical affairs and an infectious disease physician at Griffin Hospital.
Keith Grant, senior system director of infection prevention at Hartford Healthcare, agreed that the U.K. variant is a serious threat to worsen the pandemic. There also appears to be more COVID variants that are rapidly spreading, including those centered in California and South Africa.
“We do expect to see these variances across the globe,” Grant said. “I do think we’re going to keep seeing these mutations overall.”
The California variant has been a particular concern, as it might have contributed to a recent surge in cases across the southern region of that state. According to research released earlier this month by Cedars-Sinai, the variant has been found in more than one-third of COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles. The researcher were unable to confirm whether this new strain is deadlier than other forms of COVID.
There also have been variants detected elsewhere, including South Africa and Brazil.
Grant said the major concern about the variants is that they are more contagious than the original COVID-19. If there is a variant that turns out to be vaccine resistant or deadlier than the original, that would heighten the concern even more, he said. The best course of action for now is to remain vigilant, he said.
“They just make sure they’re doing the same things they had been doing where protection is concerned,” he said.