Greenwich first selectman reports 104 more cases in town

GREENWICH — The town of Greenwich has seen another sharp rise in coronavirus cases, with over 100 more cases reported since Wednesday, First Selectman Fred Camillo announced Friday evening.

A total of 1,760 cases of the coronavirus have been reported in Greenwich as of Friday, an increase of 104 cases since Wednesday, Camillo said in his weekly e-blast to residents.

Camillo said that Director of Health Caroline Baisley told him that there had been a delay in reporting 38 cases at the state level due to the “overwhelming number of cases” that have been diagnosed recently in Connecticut.

“As we enter December with the holiday season upon us, we are experiencing substantial increases in the number of residents who have tested positive for COVID-19,” Camillo said in his e-blast. “While this surge is not unexpected with the return of students from college and holiday travel and gather

ings, it is imperative that we collectively and proactively follow CDC guidelines to mitigate these rising numbers.”

He reminded residents of the importance of wearing masks, social distancing and washing hands.

Additionally Greenwich Hospital reported on Friday that it was treating 38 patients diagnosed with the virus, which is an increase of four admitted patients since Wednesday.

Three of those patients are on ventilators, the hospital said.

Since the start of the pandemic, 58 residents of Greenwich have died after being diagnosed with the coronavirus, Camillo said.

In the past week, Camillo said there has been an increase of 224 active cases. Of those, 55 residents diagnosed with the virus are between the ages of 41 to 55, 38 are between the ages of 11 and 20 and 39

are between the ages of 21 and 30. The remaining 22 positive active cases are in other age groups.

Testing is available at a drive- thru location at Greenwich Hospital, with information available at www.ynhhs.org/ patient- care/covid- 19/ testing/testing- locations. aspx. Family Centers offers testing by appointment only at its Wilbur Peck Court health clinic on Tuesdays and Wed

nesdays.

The federal Food and Drug Administration is expected to grant emergency approvals soon for the coronavirus vaccine, with Greenwich slated to receive its first doses in the coming weeks. The first vaccines will go to Greenwich Hospital for its frontline healthcare workers.

The town will get vaccines in the coming months to distribute to residents through the De

partment of Health.

“When we are earmarked to distribute and vaccinate the group we are told to vaccinate, we will be ready,” Baisley said Wednesday. “We have a plan. We have the necessary freezers. We have staff and we have volunteers. Everything that is needed to do this we have in the public health system.”