State reports 502 new virus cases

Here are the most important things to know about the coronavirus in Connecticut:

State reports over 500 new cases

On Thursday, Connecticut announced 502 new cases, two more deaths and 19 new hospitalizations. The positivity rate (the percentage of total tests that are positive) has slightly decreased to 2.2 percent from when it was 2.6 percent on Wednesday.

7-day average of positivity rate climbing

The rolling seven-day average for the positivity rate in Connecticut is on an uptick. Each day, for the last seven days, the average has steadily increased. On Thursday the rolling average was 2.2 percent.

CDC: Virus can be spread during brief encounters

The CDC has said COVID-19 can be passed from one host to another during even brief encounters, as Stat news reported, prompting the agency to redefine terms. The CDC had defined “a close contact” as spending 15 minutes or more within 6 feet of someone else. Now it’s cumulative — you just need to spend a total of 15 minutes or more of the course of a 24-hour period within 6 feet of someone who was infectious.

Patient dies in trial

Brazilian health officials have said that a patient involved in the vaccine trial run by AstraZeneca and Oxford University has died, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. Several reports, including by Bloomberg, indicate the patient was in the control group.

Russia promoting disinformation: ABC

An internal U.S. intelligence bulletin reportedly obtained by ABC News says Russia is continuing to actively promote disinformation related to the coronavirus.