CDC: Fairfield County now has ‘high transmission’ of COVID-19
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that Fairfield County is now considered a “high transmission” area for COVID-19, one day after the state’s daily positivity rate reached its highest in four months.
Fairfield County makes the fifth county in the state to be upgraded to the “high transmission” category, joining New Haven, Hartford,
New London and Middlesex counties. The state’s three remaining counties remain classified by the CDC as having “substantial transmission.”
On Tuesday, Gov. Ned Lamont said the number of positive virus tests reached 4.25 percent, bringing the seven-day average to 3.4 percent. This marked the highest daily percentage for Connecticut in four months.
The “high transmission” classification comes when there are 100 or more cases per 100,000 people, or a positivity rate of 10 percent or higher over the last seven days. Those areas labeled as having “substantial transmission” have 50 to 100 cases per 100,000, or a positivity rate between 8 and 10 percent in the last week.
The Connecticut Department of Public Health said as the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus continues to rapidly spread, it urges all residents over the age of 2 — vaccinated or not — to return to wearing masks when in indoor public spaces.
The DPH said there have been some cases of “vaccine breakthrough” in Connecticut, but stressed that they remain “rare.” The department said most hospitalizations and deaths in Connecticut, and nationwide, are among unvaccinated individuals.