Case Prevalence Per 10,000, By Town
For the week ending May 5, 2021
Cases of COVID-19 in Connecticut dropped significantly for the third straight week as the state continued to be among the nationwide leaders in vaccination rates. Connecticut, along with several other New England states, is close to achieving President Joe Biden’s goal of having at least 70% of the adult population having taken at least one dose of a vaccine by July 4.
The rest of the country isn’t doing as well, and may struggle to reach the target thanks to vaccine hesitancy. Experts now believe that herd immunity for much of the country may not be possible, leaving the virus as a low-level but persistent presence.
That may end up leaving the northeast, and New England specifically, as an isolated region of high vaccination rates while the remainder of the US lags behind. If this happens, it has major implications for the economy, tourism, travel, and the resumption of normal life.
Case numbers and case prevalence, or the number of cases per 10,000 residents, fell to the lowest levels in nearly seven months. The state recorded 3,610 new cases for the week ending May 5, 2021, a decline of 1,356 from last week’s total of 4,966. That’s a drop of 27.31%, which is one of the sharpest drops we’ve seen since the second wave began to fade in January. Statewide prevalence was 10.10 new cases per 10,000 residents, down from 13.90 last week, and the test positivity rate also dropped from 2.5% to 1.9%. Hospitalizations also reached a six-month low.
Let’s take a look at the map.
Case numbers and case prevalence fell all across the state this past week. The vast majority of towns now have case prevalence numbers in the 2-5 or 5-10 new cases per 10,000 residents range. Only six towns had a case prevalence of over 20: Morris (30.95), Meriden (23.51), Waterbury (22.48), Killingly (22.56), Derby (20.78), and Hartford (20.31). Ten towns, Chaplin, Darien, Kent, Middlefield, Pomfret, Preston, Scotland, Union, Washington, and Woodbury reported no new cases this past week.
There were few discernable patterns, which is good news. One potential trouble spot is slightly higher case prevalence numbers in Hartford, Meriden, and Waterbury, which could mean that more and better vaccination programs in urban neighborhoods are needed.
Other than that, this is all good news for a state weary after a long, long year of pandemic.
Here is last week’s map for comparison:
Case Prevalence Per 10,000, By Town
For the week ending April 28, 2021
Susan Bigelow is an award-winning columnist and the founder of CTLocalPolitics. She lives in Enfield with her wife and their cats.
The views, opinions, positions, or strategies expressed by the author are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of CTNewsJunkie.com.
