CT Coronavirus Control Good, But Cases Rise: Task Force
CONNECTICUT — The latest White House Coronavirus Task Force report for Connecticut indicated that coronavirus activity in the state remained control, but there was some worry over a growing number of cases. The Center for Public Integrity has been collecting and disseminating the task force weekly reports, which are sent by the task force to governors around the country.
The reports aren’t made public by the task force. The Center for Public Integrity found the reports aren’t always shared with local leaders, including in Tulsa, Okla. The Arkansas Department of Public Health also wasn’t forwarded two weeks worth of reports from the state’s governors office.
State-level reports summarize coronavirus activity and offer recommendations to state leaders based on trends. Connecticut’s most recent report was dated Sept. 20.
Connecticut has made many coronavirus data sets open to the public. State officials have already acted on many of the recommendations made in the report.
“Although overall control of the epidemic remains good, Connecticut has seen a second week of upticks in cases,” the report notes. “Connecticut is in the yellow zone for cases, indicated between 10 and 50 new cases per 100,000 population last week.”
The state’s positive test rate, total number of tests per population and deaths were in green zones. Connecticut is doing as well or faring better than the national average in those categories.
The report also noted that Danbury saw an increase in cases again after the outbreak in the city appeared to be under control.
Connecticut is in the task force’s “yellow zone” for cases and “green zone” for test positivity rate. Connecticut ranked 46th for highest rate of cases per population in the week leading up to Sept. 20. It’s positive test rate was the 44th highest in the country.
New cases at the vast majority of nursing homes continue to be low; 5 percent of homes had at least one new resident COVID-19 case, 4 percent had at least one staff COVID-19 case and 2 percent had at least one new resident COVID-19-related death.
Connecticut had 34 cases per 100,000 population in the week leading up to Sept. 20 while the national average is 86 per 100,000.
The White House Coronavirus Task Force suggested Connecticut integrate the number of coronavirus cases in schools to the state’s public data dashboard. State COO Josh Geballe said last week during a news conference that the state planned to release the dashboard soon.
The task force also recommended Connecticut keeps up its robust testing availability and contact tracing.
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Colleges and universities should have adequate testing in place, including sampling of asymptomatic students and staff. The task force also suggested local ordinances to allow enforcement of social distancing and mask mandates in college communities.
Gov. Ned Lamont signed an executive order that allows local law enforcement and health departments to issue fines for noncompliance with his facemask and private social gathering size limit executive orders.
Read the full report repository from the Center for Public Integrity here.
This article originally appeared on the Across Connecticut Patch
