State of Connecticut grapic
Connecticut residents wanting to track the latest wave of COVID-19 infections have a new tool in the form of a color-coded threat map.
The state Department of Public Health will update the map weekly in the state’s data tracker at ct.gov/coronavirus. The map identifies the average daily case rate per 100,000 population in each of Connecticut’s cities and towns over the previous two weeks. The new weekly alert level is also accompanied by municipal-level guidance on recommended actions for individual residents, institutions such as schools, houses of worship, community organizations, municipal leaders, and local health directors.
It is color coded according to the following criteria:
- Red is for municipalities that have a two week average daily COVID-19 case rate higher than 15 per 100,000 population.
- Orange is for municipalities with case rates between 10-14 per 100,000 population.
- Yellow is for municipalities with case rates between 5-9 per 100,000 population.
- Gray is for municipalities with case rates lower than 5 per 100,000 population.
This week, the following municipalities are in the red category:
- Canterbury
- Danbury
- East Lyme
- Griswold
- Hartford
- Montville
- New London
- Norwich
- Preston
- Sprague
- Windham
At the same time, the state also gave the federal government its first look at how it plans to vaccinate residents against COVID-19 when such a vaccine becomes available. Residents who are elderly or medically at-risk, as well as health care workers and other essential workers, will likely receive the first doses of an anticipated COVID-19 vaccine in Connecticut, according to a draft state distribution plan submitted Friday to the federal government.
The 77-page document, filed with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, outlines three possible phases for vaccine distribution in the state, predicting there could be limited supplies of a vaccine available sometime this fall. But state officials stressed that Connecticut’s draft plan is subject to change, based on input from a newly formed advisory committee to Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont and changing federal advice.
“While we’ve put together this framework … we’ve done this really with limited information about the actual vaccine itself and the requirements and populations,” said Dr. Deidre Gifford, the state’s acting public health director, during a meeting held Thursday evening with the governor’s advisory committee. “So we are doing our best to prepare but also knowing that we need to remain flexible and adapt as we get further information.”
