The escalation of new COVID-19 cases has been slowing over the past week, with the latest state positivity rate on February 16 dipping down to 1.58 percent after days of hovering in the mid two percent range.

In Newtown, with nearly 40,000 virus tests administered, the latest count of positive cases since the virus was first detected locally stands at 1,458 — an increase of 25 since last week. The number of residents lost to COVID-19 has held at 60 for several weeks.

As of February 16, the total of COVID-19 cases reported among Connecticut residents is 271,356, including 254,520 laboratory-confirmed and 16,836 probable cases; 584 patients were hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 at that time, and 7,476 COVID-19-associated deaths have been confirmed across the state.

First Selectman Dan Rosenthal reported to the Legislative Council on February 17 that Newtown has been receiving 200 vaccine doses weekly for distribution to qualified residents who have been queueing up at clinics being held at the Senior Center, which are coordinated by the Newtown Health District.

Rosenthal said many states under CDC guidance opened the first rounds of vaccinations to those 65 and older, while Connecticut started qualifying vaccine candidates from the general population at age 75.

“I think what the state was realizing was that they didn’t have unlimited amounts of the vaccine,” he said, admitting that limiting vaccine administration at first to those 75 and over has created anxiety for others, including people with underlying medical conditions. But it has helped eliminate any backlog and long lines of people waiting.

“Now if you’re 65 and over you’re covered, but unless you’re a front line responder, if you have underlying medical conditions you are not eligible yet,” Rosenthal said. He said after four weeks of vaccine clinics, Newtown is likely at 90 percent of its qualified seniors over 75 getting vaccinated.

“Now that we’re expanded to 65 and over, we expect to see similar results in that age group,” the first selectman said. “In the coming weeks, we expect to see the state expand to essential workers as well. But I think the amount of vaccine they are getting, more than anything, is driving the process.”

Health District Director Donna Culbert said people are finding ways of getting vaccines either locally or elsewhere.

“I feel we’re getting good coverage,” she said, “so we’ll see what happens with the over-65s; we’re anticipating increased supplies coming into the state and what it’s going to look like when eligibility opens to compromised residents. Be patient and continue being careful. People need to continue using precautions.”

According to the latest release from Governor Ned Lamont, Connecticut remains in the top four states in the nation for vaccine distribution. So far, the state has vaccinated:

*66 percent of its population over the age of 75; and

*23 percent of its population between the ages of 65 and 74.

Next week, the state anticipates receiving an increase in supply from the federal government of about 22 percent.

Connecticut is currently in phase 1b of its COVID-19 vaccination program. Right now under this phase, individuals age 65 and over can receive the vaccine.

In the coming weeks, Lamont said the phase will open to include individuals between the ages of 16 and 64 who have underlying health conditions, teachers, and frontline essential workers. Information on Connecticut’s COVID-19 vaccination program is available at ct.gov/covidvaccine.

“Fortunately, the Centers for Disease Control has come out with a very clear list of those who are deemed as essential workers, which does include teachers, and they also have a pretty clear list of co-morbidities, so I think we’ll start with that as a template,” he said.

On February 16, Lamont announced the potential next steps for expanding capacity of private social and recreational events at commercial venues beginning on Friday, March 19. This will likely be 50 percent capacity, capped at 100 people indoors, and a capacity of up to 200 people outdoors.

The governor noted that the effective date of this expansion is dependent upon continued stability in the state’s COVID-19 metrics.

The governor said he was giving the industry a month’s notice so it could begin booking events, but he also warned that a significant spike in new cases could force changes.

“I know you want some guarantees — ‘We can have a big wedding in July.’ I can’t give you any guarantees, but right now the trends are good,” Lamont said.

Earlier Tuesday, Lamont was administered with his first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic that was held at the First Cathedral church in Bloomfield under a partnership with Trinity Health of New England.

“I’m proud to partner with our faith community to make sure everyone eligible for a vaccine in Connecticut can access one,” Governor Lamont said. “Leaders in our houses of worship in every community are a critical part of ensuring everyone knows the vaccine is safe, and we are making sure every resident of our state has free access to the vaccine regardless of insurance availability or documentation status.”

‘South African’ Variant

On Monday, state public health officials announced that the B.1.351 variant of the COVID-19 virus, the so-called “South African” variant, had been detected in a Connecticut patient who is currently hospitalized out of state with the virus. The individual’s condition was improving at that time.

This was the first known case of the B.1.351 variant in a Connecticut resident.

The Connecticut patient is a Fairfield County resident between the ages of 60 and 70 who had not traveled recently. The B.1.351 variant was reported last weekend by public health officials in New York.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) and local health officials are coordinating with officials in New York, and contact tracing has been completed.

Like the B.1.1.7 variant, the B.1.351 variant is more contagious than the original COVID-19 virus. This strain of the virus was first detected in South Africa in October 2020 and was first discovered in the United States at the end of January.

With 42 confirmed cases in the state of the B.1.1.7 variant, including one in Southbury and two in Oxford, and now the discovery of the B.1.351 variant in Connecticut, public health officials reiterated the need for continued vigilance, including wearing masks, social distancing, avoiding gatherings with individuals who do not reside in your household, and isolating when sick.

“Seeing another variant in our state reminds us yet again the severity of this pandemic and reinforces the need for us to take all of the necessary precautions which have proven to be successful over the past year,” said Governor Lamont. “The virus does not recognize state boundaries, and it certainly does not recognize international borders, which means the responsibility is on all of us to do what we can on a personal basis to mitigate the spread.”

Acting DPH Commissioner Dr Deidre Gifford advised that Connecticut residents should follow new CDC guidance issued last week calling for double masking in certain circumstances.

“With the variants currently circulating in the United States and in Connecticut, it is more important than ever to prevent transmission of the virus,” said Gifford. “We do that by ensuring that masks are being worn correctly and are as effective as possible. Masks should always cover the nose and mouth completely. In some instances, a cloth mask along with a surgical mask may be the best approach according to the CDC, in order to prevent droplets from escaping or entering through gaps in masks.”

Civil Immunity Lifted

AARP Connecticut issued the following comment in response to the February 8 announcement by Governor Ned Lamont that he will end his executive order granting civil immunity to nursing homes on March 1, 2021:

After eight months of pressure from AARP Connecticut, the State Long Term Care Ombudsman, and other advocates, Governor Ned Lamont announced today that he is ending his Executive Order granting civil immunity to nursing homes.

The order, which has been in place since April of 2020, granted nursing homes civil immunity for “acts or omissions undertaken in good faith while providing health care services in support of the State’s COVID-19 response.” It is now set to expire on March 1, 2021.

“I am very pleased Governor Lamont has decided it is time to put nursing home residents and their families first,” said Nora Duncan, State Director of AARP Connecticut. “AARP Connecticut applauds the State’s successful efforts to prioritize nursing home residents in its vaccine rollout and thanks Governor Lamont for his decision to repeal civil immunity for nursing homes.”

Lamont’s announcement coincides with other hopeful news coming out of Connecticut’s nursing homes. The State’s decision to prioritize nursing home residents in their vaccine efforts has resulted in nearly all residents receiving their vaccine and a 70 percent decrease of COVID-19 deaths in recent weeks.

Duncan said AARP Connecticut appreciates the difficult work that nursing homes have had to undertake during this pandemic, “and we believe that most facilities have taken extraordinary measures to protect residents.

“There is still urgent work to be done to support nursing home residents and their loved ones, especially concerning visitation and social connection,” Duncan added, “but we celebrate the State’s successful efforts to vaccinate nursing home residents and thank Governor Lamont for his decision to end civil immunity.”

CTMirror content by Mark Pazniokas was included in this update.