COVID deaths, breakthrough cases rise; hospitalizations fall

Connecticut is reporting its highest weekly COVID-19 death count in months, but data released Thursday also shows continued signs the Delta-driven surge here is abating.

The state reported an additional 39 coronavirus-related deaths in the past week for a total of 8,394. Hospitalizations decreased by three patients from a day earlier for a total of 357.

Since Wednesday, there were 684 new COVID-19 cases out of 22,868 tests, a positive test rate of 2.99 percent. That brings the 7-day average positivity rate to 3.3 percent — down from 3.5 percent a week ago.

Some health experts in Connecticut have predicted the summer Delta-surge would subside by the end of September.

Thursday’s report from the state shows breakthrough infections made up a greater percent of new cases this week compared to last week. But overall the data shows unvaccinated individuals continue to be at a much higher risk for getting severely ill and dying.

Since Aug. 26, the state reported nearly 1,500 breakthrough cases out of 4,500 new cases overall about 33%. That’s compared to 28% of all reported cases the week prior.

Of the 2.26 million people in Connecticut who are fully vaccinated, the state has identified 8,617 breakthrough cases, accounting for less than half a percent. In total, the state has identified 65 deaths involving fully immunized people, the vast majority of whom were 75 or older. They make up less than a percent of the overall coronaviruslinked deaths.

Also on Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff’s office released data showing unvaccinated individuals who were hospitalized in June and July due to Covid-19 cost Connecticut hospitals more than $9 million.

“There’s real costs associated with not taking the vaccine,” Duff, D-Norwalk, said by phone Thursday.

Those who’ve spread misinformation about the virus and the vaccine bear some responsibility “for these costs and the fact that people are getting sick,” he said.

After reading a national report showing it cost the U.S. health system billions of dollars to care for unvaccinated patients hospitalized for the coronavirus in June and July, Duff asked the Connecticut Hospital Association if it could provide a state-level cost.

About 98% of the 773 adults hospitalized for COVID-19 in Connecticut during June and July were not fully inoculated, according to the hospital association’s data.

Of those, 472 cases were deemed to be preventable — people who were not fully inoculated and were primarily in the hospital due to Covid. An average hospital admission costs $20,000, amounting to $9.45 million to care for those patients over the two months.

Duff said that’s likely a conservative estimate as the cost to care for someone in the intensive care unit is much higher and many unvaccinated patients have ended up in the ICU.

“We want to make sure people get the care they need and deserve to get better but somebody is picking up those costs whether its going to be the government with Medicare and Medicaid, or insurance companies that will pass the cost along to policy holders, or individuals,” he said.