569 new virus cases in CT since Friday

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

There were 569 new cases since Friday

Gov. Ned Lamont announced at a Monday press conference 569 confirmed coronavirus cases since Friday. The governor also said that the positivity rate — the percentage of total coronavirus tests that are positive — is at

1.1 percent. He was careful to put that into context, saying that the positivity rate in other states is significantly higher.

The transmission rate in Connecticut is 1.09.

The transmission rate (or Rt) in Connecticut, as estimated by the website rt.live, has reached 1.09, the highest it’s been since April 3. The transmission rate indicates the rate of secondary infections — the number of people a single patient is expected to infect. If it’s below 1, the virus is contained; above 1, it means the virus is spreading.

Pfizer said it could distribute a vaccine by the end of the year

The CEO of drugmaker Pfizer, Albert Bourla, told CBS’ “Face the Nation“that the company expects to give data on vaccine development to the Food and Drug Administration by the end of October. If the FDA gives its approval, Bourla said Pfizer is prepared to distribute “hundreds of thousands of doses” by the end of the year.

Should ethics drive vaccine distribution?

A research letter published by a trio of legal and health scholars suggests that ethical concerns should determine who gets a limited number of vaccine doses. Some, they wrote, have suggested a lottery as a fair way to handle it, but they argue that disregards medical necessity and the need to prioritize disadvantaged populations.

Google searches may predict COVID outbreaks

A study published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, showed that Google search trends for gastrointestinal issues might predict coronavirus outbreaks by as much as four weeks. A look at Google Trends showed that there were in fact a higher volume of searches for “diarrhea” and “loss of smell” in Connecticut in early March, just as the pandemic was getting up to speed.

John Moore / Getty Images A student, his face covered, waits for the doors to open after drop-off at Rippowam Middle School on Monday in Stamford. Most students there are taking part in a hybrid model, where they attend in-school classes every other day and distance learn the rest. More than 20 percent of students in the Stamford Public Schools district are enrolled in the distance learning option only.