Statewide data
Another person has died from COVID-19 in Seymour, according to Wednesday’s report from the Naugatuck Valley Health District.
The NVHD described the person as a 77-year-old female who was living in a long-term care facility in Seymour. Additional details about the death were not available.
The lower Naugatuck Valley is experiencing a second COVID-19 wave. The first wave was when the virus was first detected in Connecticut in March.
According to the latest NVHD report, embedded at the bottom of this article, 52 new cases were reported between Tuesday and Wednesday.
The NVHD covers Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Naugatuck, Seymour and Shelton.
The number of positive cases in those communities has grown by 879 cases since Oct. 16, a 44.3 percent one-month increase.
The previous month — Sept. 16 to Oct. 16 — saw 173 new cases, a 9.5 percent monthly increase.
The number of people getting COVID-19 tests is on the increase, too, according to state data reviewed by The Valley Indy.
On Oct. 15, 28,772 had been tested in the NVHD jurisdiction. On Nov. 17, an additional 9,892 people had been tested, a 34.3 percent increase.
But deaths are increasing, too.
Four people have died so far this month. Three of the most recent deaths were reported within nursing homes or long-term care facilities, where the people most likely to die from COVID-19 live. A fifth death Oct. 27 was ruled COVID-19 probable.
Prior to Oct. 27, there had not been a COVID-19 death reported since July 30.
Ansonia and Derby, with COVID-19 positivity rates of 7 percent each, are ranked seventh among the top ten communities in Connecticut with the highest percentage of COVID-19 tests coming back positive, according to a graphic published Wednesday in The Hartford Courant.
The public is advised to wear masks, wash hands, and keep social circles small. Better treatment and a vaccine are on the horizon, but the docs says the next two months will be tough across the U.S. The number of hospitalizations are up, but not as high as they were when COVID-19 was first found in Connecticut last spring.
All lower Valley towns have been designated COVID-19 “red alert” communities, with at least 15 new COVID-19 cases per day over two weeks. A new, color-coded map from the state is due out today (Thursday, Nov. 19).
Students within Ansonia Public Schools are learning online through the New Year because of COVID-19. Superintendent Joseph DiBacco sent a letter to the community Wednesday (Nov. 18) notifying the public of another positive case within Ansonia High School. The person who tested positive was last in the school Tuesday, Nov. 10, according to the letter.
“Those individuals impacted have been notified; I know we are remote but it is our responsibility to inform staff, families and the public,” DiBacco said.
Seymour Public Schools posts COVID-19 communication here.
On Nov. 18, the school district said a staff member at Chatfield-LoPresti School had tested positive for COVID-19.
On Nov. 17, the school district posted a notice saying a staff member from Seymour High School and a staff member from Seymour Middle School tested positive. The district also reported that a student at the high school and a student at the middle school had tested positive.
Students in Seymour are learning online through the New Year as well.
Students in Derby Public Schools are still learning in-person, though the high school building was closed Wednesday.
The district is now posting a COVID-19 dashboard on its website with data for the public to review.
The Derby school data shows 13 active cases in the district as of 11 a.m. Thursday (Nov. 18). It shows 80 students are “out” or in quarantine, along with 36 staff members.
Superintendent Matthew Conway sent a letter late Wednesday saying the district would be going remote for some of next week:
Good evening Derby Family:
After much consideration, I am sharing, next Monday through Wednesday will be remote learning days. All staff will report to their school at their regularly scheduled time, while all students will login into class remotely at their regularly scheduled class time. My reasons for this opportunity are shared below.
Practice Remote Learning Days:
While today 30% of students are on remote learning, and teachers are teaching to both in-person learners and remote learners simultaneously it is a different experience for 70% of students on in-person learning as well as teachers and paras to shift to full remote/virtual teaching.
I often use the term relentless preparation. With that, we will be using these days to better prepare all staff, students and parents, should we need to go full remote, We, as a country, and as a district, have learned a lot and continue to learn every day how to better respond to such a crisis. While we know we are much better now at virtual learning, we still have more to learn and practice to get even better. To provide not just an adequate experience but such an engaging experience for your child they will be excited to login and learn. And while 30% of our students are currently participating in remote learning, 70% are not. This means they have not had the opportunity to wake up and login into class, while at home with support from a parent. This will give us insight into who needs additional support. While we have deployed laptops and hotspots to every student, connecting remotely 100% across the district needs to be tested, at a time when immediate response and support can be provided to address any challenges.
Based on CDC contact tracing protocols, by scheduling these practice days prior to the Thanksgiving Holiday, will also give our family members, staff and students the opportunity to enjoy the holiday with family, without the worry of receiving a call on Thanksgiving, informing them they are a close contact, need to quarantine and the need to go get tested. Spending time with family on this Thanksgiving Holiday will be challenging enough without the interruption and subsequent need to isolate yourself even further. This will give our staff, who today spend countless hours outside their normal day and most every evening and weekend contact tracing for every case reported to us, the opportunity to have a few uninterrupted hours giving thanks to and with family.
Like our normal snow day closures, I realize this may cause a disruption for some families to provide supervision and support for our younger children, but I balance this with the need to practice and get better, with support, at a new way of learning as well as creating an opportunity for everyone to enjoy this Thanksgiving without a call from the Superintendent. I hope by informing you now you will have a little time to make arrangements.
For parents with students enrolled in one of our learning centers, Little Raiders University or RAISE Academy you will be contacted by one of our program supervisors with further details.
We will return to our regular in-person learning schedule on Monday November 30, 2020.
Thank you for your support and understanding, and have a safe and healthy Thanksgiving.
Sincerely,
Dr. Matthew J. Conway, Jr.
Superintendent of Schools
The Derby Public Schools COVID-19 dashboard, as of 11 a.m. Nov. 19.
Finally, a reader on Valley Indy Facebook asked why the NVHD COVID-19 data often doesn’t match data posted by the State Department of Health.
Jessica Kristy, NVHD director of health, sent an email in response:
Quick update/reminder about data discrepancies. All data reported by local health and the state health department are subject to change.
Different reports pull data at different times and may reflect different reporting periods. For example, the grey, yellow, orange, and red shaded State of CT map shows data from the period 10/25 – 11/7 and includes confirmed and probable cases.
NVHD’s report is current through the time on the header of the report and does not include probable cases in Table 1. Cumulative NVHD COVID-19 Laboratory-Confirmed Cases.
The State map also does not show cases in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, or correctional facilities.
NVHD includes cases who live in congregate settings and by permanent residence (addresses may be updated if an individual is discharged home or moved to a different facility).
NVHD does not get the raw data included in the Governor’s data table: Appendix A. Cumulative Number of COVID-19 Cases by Town. We continue to manually retrieve our data from our secure online surveillance system and verify each case and their contact information before including in our report. Any duplicate entry or address update we uncover, we report back to the CT DPH to update in the electronic disease surveillance system.
The Nov. 18 report from the NVHD is embedded below:
NVHD COVID-19 Update – November 18 2020 by The Valley Indy on Scribd
