4 more variant COVID cases found in CT

On the eve of Super Bowl Sunday, the Connecticut Department of Public Health warned residents to avoid mingling with people outside of their immediate household.

But even as a forecast winter storm threatens to dump up to nine inches of snow on the festivities restaurant owners say they still have high hopes for the day.

Casey Dohne, owner of The Blind Rhino in South Norwalk and Black Rock, said he’s worried about the snow, but has also taken “the most pre-orders we’ve ever had.”

For those who want to watch the game there, the restuarants are limited to 50 percent capacity.

Dohne said he’s also installed barriers and added spacing between tables.

“Thankfully Lamont just extended the curfew... so people can stay until the end of the game,” he said.

Gov. Ned Lamont extended the state’s restaurant curfew for dine-in service from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. earlier in the week.

In a statement released Saturday evening, the state’s Department of Public Health urged residents to avoid gatherings ahead of Super Bowl Sunday with anyone outside their immediate household.

The alert also announced four more cases of a highly-infectious strain of the coronavirus, known as B.1.1.7, had been identified in Connecticut.

So far the state has recorded 20 cases of the variant, which was first identified in the United Kingdom. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the mutated virus is about 50 percent more easily transmitted.

The announcement of the four new cases came as part of a COVID-19 alert issued by the state Department of Public Health on Saturday night urging

“Connecticut’s numbers are going in the right direction,” said Public Health Acting Commissioner Deidre Gifford, in a statement “We don’t want the spike in cases that we saw after the holidays, so please enjoy the game with your household members only. Vaccines are being administered at a steady pace, so if we can all minimize spread just a bit longer we’ll be in a much safer, healthier place in the near future.”

The B.1.1.7 variant has been found in 33 states so far since it was first detected in the U.S. in December, according to the CDC. U.K. researchers believe the variant could be associated with a higher rate of death, but the CDC notes that “more studies are needed to confirm this finding.”

“This variant spreads more easily, adding to the importance of staying home with household members for Sunday’s game,” the DPH alert said.

Two other variants, B.1.351, first detected in South Africa, and P.1, first detected in Brazil, were both found in the U.S. late last month.

Researchers believe mutations present in both those variants could make them less susceptible to antibodies, potentially blunting efforts to vaccinate against the virus.

So far no cases of those variants have been reported in Connecticut.

The warning comes as Connecticut’s positivity rates, hospitalizations and deaths attributed to the virus have all been trending downward in recent weeks. That follows two spikes in infections recorded after the November and December holidays.

“With snow forecast for Sunday, this is an ideal time to stay home to watch the game,” the alert said.

If people outside of an immediate household do gether, they should wear masks “at all times.”