COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to decline in Connecticut

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — COVID-19-related hospitalizations in Connecticut continued to decrease Friday as a growing number of people have received their first dose of the vaccine.

There were 1,058 people hospitalized, a decrease of 11 since Thursday. Hartford County has the largest number of patients, with 325. It was followed by 308 in New Haven County and 250 in Fairfield County.

Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont called the state’s recent trend of declining hospitalizations “extraordinarily good news” during a media briefing on Thursday.

“We’re watching the metrics carefully,” he said, “but we are continuing to make progress, I think, every day.”

According to data through Jan. 21 from Johns Hopkins University, the rolling average number of daily new cases has decreased by 399.7, a decrease of 16.4% over the past two weeks.

There were 924.7 new cases per 100,000 people in Connecticut over the past two weeks, which ranks 17th in the country for new cases per capita. One in every 251 people in Connecticut tested positive in the past week

The number of COVID-associated deaths in the state increased by 45, from Thursday to Friday, for a total of 6,819.

Meanwhile, the Hartford Courant reported Friday that an attorney representing families and the CT Freedom Alliance, who are challenging state rules requiring students to wear face masks while in school, has asked the state Supreme Court to get involved in the case. Attorney Norm Pattis requested the state’s highest court hear an appeal of a lower court’s ruling against the families’ request to indefinitely lift the state order.