By Robert McGarry, First Selectman, Haddam.
I thought it was about time for another Covid-19 update. I started writing this early in March. I was going to highlight the improvement in our monthly case count from 68 in December and 67 in January to 25 in February. Still high compared to the summer but much improved. However, other issues demanded my time and the draft was put on a back burner. Then March happened and our case count skyrocketed (74).
Statewide except for the daily death count, all of the COVID indicators are going in the wrong direction. They started going back up in mid-March. (Deaths normally lags the other indicators by two to three weeks so they may begin to climb again.) The CT Mirror has a series of interactive graphs, https://ctmirror.org/2021/01/01/covid-in-ct-the-data-that-tell-the-story/ showing indicator data for the state. The indicator I pay the most attention to is hospitalizations.
It’s less affected by other factors and you’re seriously sick if you’re in the hospital. Here’s the hospitalization graph as of March 31st. The good news is we’re not in the dark days of last spring, hospitalizations are much lower. The bad news is they’re rising again.
As explained in the article, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/01/14/us/covid-19-death-toll.html, the graph shows the percentage of deaths above or below the statistical average for the last five years. The deaths are from all causes not just Covid-19 but the impact of the disease is obvious.
On a positive note, vaccinations in Connecticut are going well. We’ve consistently ranked in the top five states for percentage of population vaccinated. Currently, only New Mexico has vaccinated a higher percentage than Connecticut. 20% of our population is fully vaccinated, 35% have received at least one shot. Everyone 16 and older is eligible. The number of places where you can get a shot is continuing to increase; Nutmeg Pharmacy and our health district are doing great work for us. Please get your vaccine. If you have trouble getting an appointment call our Social Service Department, (860)345-4621.
In closing, we’re all tired of the pandemic, the restrictions, the inconveniences, and the precautions but we have to hang in there a little longer. Please wear a mask, keep your distance from others, wash your hands and avoid crowded situations.
