Daily coronavirus updates: Connecticut records 1.3% COVID-19 positivity rate, lowest in a day since October; pregnant women urged to get vaccine

Connecticut recorded its lowest COVID-19 positivity rate and fewest number of new cases in more than six months Thursday, as coronavirus hospitalizations continue to decrease in the state as well.

Gov. Ned Lamont announced 486 new COVID-19 cases out of 36,200 tests for a positivity rate of 1.3% — lowest on a single day since Oct. 6. The 486 new cases were the state’s fewest in a day since Oct. 21.

The state’s seven-day positivity rate, which currently stands at 2.45%, has decreased for several weeks after an uptick in late March and early February.

“I’m not a day-trader, but this two-week trend, this four-week trend really means a lot,” Lamont said. “I like to think that this is a trend that’s going to be with us for a long time.”

As of Thursday, Connecticut had 403 residents hospitalized with COVID-19, down four since Wednesday and the fewest at a time since March 23.

These declines come as Connecticut continues to rank among the national leaders in COVID-19 vaccination, with 54% of state residents having received at least one shot and 37% fully vaccinated. COVID-19 cases began declining among older residents in January and February after those 65 and older became eligible for vaccination and have lately dipped most sharply of late among residents in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s, who became eligible for vaccination in March and April.

Connecticut now has more than 100 vaccine clinics offering walk-up appointments, Lamont said Thursday, meaning patients no longer must register ahead of time before seeking a shot.

Despite the state’s improved COVID-19 metrics and continued vaccination progress, the state continues to see significant amounts of transmission. Of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities, 97 remain under the state’s “red alert” designation, meaning they have recorded at least 15 new daily cases per 100,000 residents.

The state on Thursday announced four additional coronavirus-linked deaths, bringing its total during the pandemic to 8,084. The United States has recorded 574,853 COVID-19 deaths, according to the Coronavirus Resource Center at Johns Hopkins University.

Pregnant women urged to get vaccine

Days after a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report found no specific risk to pregnant women from the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccines, local experts are strongly urging that group to sign up for vaccination.

Dr. Matthew Saidel, chief medical officer of Women’s Health CT, said Thursday that all existing COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective for people in the second two trimesters of pregnancy.

“The response that is produced by the vaccine is very robust [in pregnant women],” he said. “And not only does it protect the pregnant mom from COVID, but … the antibodies that mom makes cross the placenta so the baby of a vaccinated mother will come out with a degree of protection.”

Saidel said he has heard from women worried that a coronavirus vaccine could harm their unborn babies, cause infertility or raise their risks of miscarriage, but that there is no evidence that is the case. Pregnant women are, however, more likely to suffer severe cases of COVID-19.

“My message is that the benefits of taking this vaccine far outweigh the risks of taking this vaccine,” Saidel said. “We strongly recommend that pregnant women be vaccinated in the second two trimesters of their pregnancy.”

Saidel said people in the first trimester of pregnancy may want to delay vaccination due to the possibility of fever as a side effect.

Alex Putterman can be reached at aputterman@courant.com.