By Bob McGarry, First Selectman, Haddam.
Covid-19 cases continue to rise in town as they do throughout the state and country. We’re experiencing a dramatic increase this month; 45 cases so far compared to 13 last month and the previous high of 19 in April. Granted some of the difference in case numbers between now and April is due to the increased availability of testing but that doesn’t explain the surge this month compared to October and September. What concerns me most about the fall surge is that it is more widespread in both the state and country than the spring surge. This reduces the ability to move medical resources from low demand areas to higher ones simply because there are fewer low demand areas.
There is some good news on the pandemic front. I’m sure you’ve heard about the three vaccines that may soon be available. Pfizer has applied for an emergency use authorization from the FDA; Moderna and AstraZeneca are expected to do so shortly. Our health district is preparing to administer the vaccine as early as the middle of December. The first group of people to get the vaccine is likely to be people at high risk, health care workers and first responders.
More good news is that it appears this surge in cases isn’t producing the same surge in hospitalizations and deaths the spring surge did. Yes, hospitalizations and deaths are increasing but not as fast as expected. You can see this in graphs The Connecticut Mirror published in an article on November23rd, COVID in CT: The data that tell the story (https://ctmirror.org/2020/11/23/covid-in-ct-the-data-that-tell-the-story/). It’s unclear exactly why this is happening; it’s probably a combination of factors.
The bottom line is it’s still up to all of us to do what we can to limit the spread of the virus. The advice is still the same – wear a mask, maintain social distancing, wash your hands and limit your time with others in confined spaces. Stay safe and please continue to support our local businesses; they’ll need our help through the months to come.
