The latest numbers from the state show a sharp increase in the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 in the lower Naugatuck Valley.
The positivity rate for the whole state Thursday was 22.8 percent of 38,674 tests administered. An additional 108 people were hospitalized statewide because of COVID-19 between Wednesday and Thursday.
During a press conference last week, state officials urged people to get vaccinated and to wear masks indoors in public places. Vaccines do not stop the spread of COVID, but they have been shown to prevent serious illness from COVID.
Although the number of cases has been increasing, Gov. Ned Lamont said there are tools people can use to keep healthy, including vaccinations and wearing high-grade masks. As of this writing, there were no plans to institute mask mandates, and the Lamont administration says it makes more sense to keep students in schools rather than to switch to remote learning.
Meanwhile, misinformation about vaccines is common, including on local Facebook threads.
Information from Connecticut hospitals last Thursday showed 68 percent of the 1,784 currently hospitalized from COVID-19 are not fully vaccinated.
The omicron variant is thought to be behind Connecticut’s latest wave. However, preliminary information shows the variant is not making people as sick as previous strains. The Omicron variant is responsible for about 95 percent of the new COVID-19 cases in the U.S., and the infection rate in the U.S. is expected to peak in mid-January.
The Hartford Courant quoted medical experts in a story Sunday saying that hospitalization rates could hit spring 2020 levels.
Here is the latest local COVID-19 data from the state. The data covers Dec. 19 to Jan. 1, and was posted Jan. 6.
ANSONIA
Week 1 positive tests: 163
Week 2 positive tests: 345
Percent increase: 111.6
BEACON FALLS
34
74
117 percent increase
DERBY
72
93
29 percent increase
NAUGATUCK
201
387
92.5 percent increase
OXFORD
95
129
35.7 percent increase
SEYMOUR
113
220
94.6 percent increase
SHELTON
356
665
86.7 percent increase
In terms of per capita infection rate, Stratford has one of the highest in the state, at 253 per 100,000. New Haven is also high, at 234 per 100,000.
Locally, Ansonia has the highest per capita rate, at 194.5.
The following shows the percentage of the population in each town that has at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine:
Ansonia: 67.3 percent
Beacon Falls: 71.6
Derby: 100
Naugatuck: 70.2
Oxford: 75
Seymour: 73.3
Shelton: 77.7.
Click here to find a vaccine center.
Griffin Health operates vaccine centers in Naugatuck and Shelton. Click here for info.
