Coronavirus CT: Infection Rate Jumps To 2.9 Percent

CONNECTICUT — The positivity rate for the coronavirus throughout the state is now 2.9 percent, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Friday. That's a sizable jump from rates that hovered around 1 percent in August.

The "red zone" of towns where the daily coronavirus case average goes above 15 cases per 100,000 people has spread, according to the Department of Public Health, into the southwestern corner of the state. Fairfield and Norwalk were added to that list Thursday. Lamont called Norwalk "concerning," as the number of cases grew from 72 to 163 this week, and the positive test rate is currently at 5 percent. On Friday, the governor attributed the spike in cases in Fairfield to activity around Fairfield University.

Good news? The seven-day average is still at 2.1 percent, which places the state comfortably near the bottom of the list of the country's COVID-19 hotspots.

The 679 new cases overnight also represents a significant bump. The total number of cases in the state is now 66,052.

The number of patients hospitalized with the coronavirus across the state now stands at 233, up one overnight.

There were eight more fatalities attributed to the virus. The total COVID-19 death toll for the state is now 4,577.

The towns with the most new coronavirus cases reported over the last 24 hours are:

1. Norwalk: 66

2. Hartford: 53

3. Stamford: 39

4. Waterbury: 33

5. Danbury: 32

6. Bridgeport: 29

7. New Haven: 22

8. New London: 20

9. New Britain: 19

10. Norwich: 19

See Also: Is Your CT Town In The Coronavirus 'Red Zone'? Interactive Map

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The towns with the most new cases reported over the past week are:

1. Norwalk: 161

2. Hartford: 126

3. Stamford: 81

4. Waterbury: 108

5. Danbury: 107

6. Bridgeport: 94

7. New Haven: 52

8. New London: 55

9. New Britain: 50

10. Norwich: 49

This article originally appeared on the Across Connecticut Patch