By Cathy Iino, First Selectman, Killingworth.
The total number of confirmed COVID cases in Killingworth has doubled over the last three weeks, to 57. Unfortunately, we are part of the broad surge in cases taking place across the whole country, in spite of the precautions that most of us have been taking.
That doesn’t mean that the precautions don’t make a difference; they do. We have seen very little transmission outside the home in our town, because many people have been conscientious about isolating themselves as soon as they knew they might have been exposed. We owe them our deepest thanks.
The surge could mean that new restrictions are ahead. Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said that he expects the curve to continue upward for the next two to three months. “This is really the eighth inning . . . the final stage of the acute phase of this epidemic that we need to get through,” he said in a governor’s news conference. “Unfortunately, it’s going to be the hardest phase. We’re in for a very difficult two or three months.”
As he and others have pointed out, the good news about COVID vaccine tests should not lead us to let down our guard. On the contrary, there is all the more reason to try to prevent as many cases as possible until the vaccines are available and can more permanently eliminate the risk.
COVID testing is available in the area, with or without symptoms or a referral. For the latest COVID-19 testing information, visit 211ct.org or chc1.com. Two nearby sites run by the Community Health Center are 19 Grand Street, Middletown, 7 days/week, 8:30 am – 4:00 pm; and Saybrook Point, in the public parking lot across from the mini-golf, Mon-Fri, 8:30 am – 3:30 pm.
While waiting for your COVID-19 test result, please:
- Stay home and away from others.
- Monitor your health for symptoms of COVID-19, including fever, chills, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, coughing, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, congestion, runny nose, fatigue, headache, muscle or body aches, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
- Do not go to work.
- Think about the people you have recently been around. This will be critical information to provide public health officials if you test positive.
Sign up for COVID Alert CT, an app for smartphones that lets you know if you have been exposed to COVID-19, without disclosing any of your personal information. The app is available for both Apple and Android devices. It will become more effective as more people use it.
COVID Alert CT is voluntary, anonymous, and very simple to download. Once you have it on your device, you will get an alert if you have come into close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19. Knowing about a potential exposure allows you to self-quarantine immediately, get tested, and reduce the potential exposure risk to others.
Information and instructions on how to use the app are here.
Schools. HK Intermediate School and HK Middle School are changing to full remote learning from Wednesday, November 18, through Wednesday, November 25. This decision was not due to a surge of cases in the schools but because too many staff and students at HKIS and HKMS are in quarantine after exposure to someone who has tested positive.
Stay safe and carry on.
