Derby, Naugatuck, and Shelton on Thursday joined Ansonia and Beacon Falls as COVID-19 per capita ‘red zones,’ according to information released by the state Department of Health.
Health officials are advising residents to mask up and get a vaccine.
The per capita rates are still much better than in April, when Ansonia and Derby were in the 40s and 50s.
Ansonia and Beacon Falls made the red zone last week. The latest data covers Aug. 1 through Aug. 14.
Here is a look at the latest per capita rates (and here’s what was reported last week):
Ansonia:
Week one: 22 positive tests
Week two: 18
Per capita rate: 15.3 (less than last week’s 16.5)
Beacon Falls:
Week one: 13
Week two: 5
Per capita rate: 20.7 (up from 18.4)
Derby:
Week one: 10
Week two: 17
Per capita rate: 15.6 (up from 12.7)
Naugatuck:
Week one: 32
Week two: 57
Per capita rate: 20.4 (up from 12.6 last week)
Oxford:
Week one: 12
Week two: 13
Per capita rate: 13.5 (up from 10.8)
Seymour:
Week one: 16
Week two: 20
Per capita rate: 15.6 (up from 13 a week ago)
Shelton:
Week one: 46
Week two: 55
Per capita rate: 17.5 (up from 11.8 a week ago)
When color-coded per capita maps were first introduced last year, any municipality with a two-week per capita rate of 15 or above was considered a red zone.
The designation meant a public health alert was to be transmitted to the public, and events should be canceled. However, that was before vaccinations were available to everyone 12 and up. No towns in the lower Naugatuck Valley have ordered all-encompassing mask mandates as of press time.
The rise in cases is because of the Delta variant.
COVID-19 vaccines are supposed to prevent serious illness and hospitalizations from COVID. A rise in cases across the country thanks to the Delta variant resulted in the CDC recommending booster shots for the vaccinated starting in September.
There are still plenty of options for anyone who wants to get vaccinated.
Example: the Naugatuck Valley Health District offers shots every Friday.
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When: EVERY FRIDAY, including this Friday, August 20th from 10AM-12PM
Where: Naugatuck Valley Health District Clinic located at 98 Bank Street, Seymour, CT 06483
What: Pfizer (12+) and Moderna (18+)
Appointments: Walk-ins welcome, make an appointment in VAMS, or call 203 – 881-3255 × 108 to skip the line and reserve a spot.
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There is also a ‘back to school’ clinic scheduled Friday (Aug. 19) at Ansonia High School. Click here to make an appointment.
See the flyer below for more information.
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Here’s a list of vaccine clinics this weekend. The list was distributed by state Rep. Kara Rochelle.
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For those who need 80s-era movies in order to get vaccinated, there’s a free screening of ‘The Karate Kid’ in Ansonia at Nolan Field on Saturday, Aug. 28.
The show starts at 6 p.m.
By the way, Ralph Macchio’s wife is a nurse practitioner in New York. During an interview on ‘The View’ in January, the ‘Karate Kid’ star talked about how his wife was dealing with families whose loved ones were at the end of their lives — something that was happening at extraordinary numbers at the start of the pandemic in New York.
So even the guy who played Johnny in ‘The Outsiders’ would probably prefer you get a COVID-19 vaccine.
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Here is the percentage of people in each town who have received one vaccination dose:
Ansonia:
55.9 percent (last week: 54.9)
Beacon Falls:
62.6 (last week: 62.1)
Derby:
73.6 (last week: 71.9)
Oxford:
65.6 (last week: 65)
Naugatuck:
59.8 (last week: 59.1)
Seymour:
63.5 (last week: 62.8)
Shelton:
67.4 (last week: 66.7)
