Case Prevalence Per 10,000, By Town
For the week ending Jan. 20, 2021Some much-needed good news on the pandemic front this week: COVID-19 case prevalence, or number of cases per 10,000 people, has declined all across Connecticut.
This is especially welcome after last week’s frighteningly high post-holiday numbers. With no major holidays in the immediate future, vaccinations proceeding apace, and a new administration that promises to take the virus more seriously than its predecessor, there’s hope that we could finally be in the home stretch.
During the week ending Jan. 20, Connecticut recorded 13,558 new cases, down significantly from the 21,122 recorded during the previous week. Case prevalence declined from 59.12 cases per 10,000 to 37.94 cases per 10,000, another significant drop. The test positivity rate also declined from 7.08% to 5.25%.
The only cause for concern, according to the CDC, is a far more contagious variant of the disease that could lead to a huge spike in cases sometime in March. The challenge for states and for the new Biden administration will be to vaccinate as many people as possible before that happens. Connecticut has thus far been doing better than many other states when it comes to vaccination, which has led to Gov. Ned Lamont’s appointment to co-chair a panel coordinating state efforts with FEMA and the National Guard.
The new, more contagious strain was detected in two cases in Connecticut several weeks ago.
Let’s take a look at the map.
Case prevalence was down in most towns across Connecticut for the week ending Jan. 20, leaving us basically where we were at the end of December before the holiday surge in cases hit. There were significant declines in most regions, perhaps none more dramatic than lower Fairfield County and the northwest corner. Three towns, Canaan, Colebrook, and Chaplin, recorded zero new cases this past week.
The exception to the general decline was the eastern parts of Windham and New London counties. Case prevalence along the I-395 corridor remains above 40 cases per 10,000, with one or two exceptions. The highest case prevalence in the state, however, was in Suffield, which more than doubled its number of cases from 75 to 180. Case prevalence there shot up from 47.64 to 114.34 cases per 10,000 residents.
Here is last week’s map for comparison:
