State’s cases rank among the fewest in country

Connecticut again ranks among the states with the fewest new COVID-19 cases per capita, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as the state experiences increasingly low levels of coronavirus transmission.

Per the CDC, Connecticut has recorded 17.7 daily cases per 100,000 residents over the past week, behind only California and Nebraska.

Connecticut’s standing relative to other states has risen and fallen over the course of the pandemic. As recently as March, it ranked among the states with the most recorded new cases, amid a small spike likely owing to the spread of variant COVID-19 strains.

Lately, however, Connecticut’s numbers

have decreased, as the state has been among the most successful at distributing COVID-19 vaccines. As of Wednesday, 64% of Connecticut residents and 76% of those 12 and older had received at least one vaccine dose, while 54% of residents and 62% of those 12 and older were fully vaccinated.

Gov. Ned Lamont on Wednesday announced 115 new COVID-19 cases out of 11,747 tests, for a positivity rate of just under 1%. The state’s seven-day positivity rate now stands at 0.92%, up a tick from Tuesday but down significantly from previous weeks.

As of Wednesday, Connecticut had 85 patients hospitalized with COVID19, down nine from Tuesday and the fewest at a given time since Sept. 28.

The state recorded three additional coronavirus-linked deaths Wednesday, bringing its total during the pandemic to 8,247. Connecticut has reported 20 COVID-19 deaths over the past week, fewest in any seven-day period since October.