Most of Connecticut in COVID Red Zone

It's been a rollercoaster ride when it comes to COVID-19 cases in Connecticut.

Just this week, according to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, the positivity rate dipped below 5 percent, but as the week wore on that level jumped again to 6.48 percent.

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The number of deaths reported over the past seven days increased by 37 to 8,946 since the pandemic began. In the week prior, 44 deaths were reported.

In the latest numbers, another 576 cases of the coronavirus were confirmed. With 41,361 tests taken, Connecticut's daily coronavirus positivity rate is 6.48 percent, up from the previous day's rate of 4.98 percent. The total number of total tests performed since the pandemic began is now 12,629,897.

Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 held steady Thursday with only one additional patient, bringing the total to 576 statewide. One week ago, there were 414 hospitalizations in Connecticut.

So just what do all these numbers mean? For one thing, all but 7 of the states 169 communities are now in the "COVID Red Zone."

To be considered in the "Red Zone", a community must have at least 15 or more COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people and with the colder weather and the new Omicron variant now active for the last week or so in the state, the spike in cases has become the primary concern in the almost 2-year fight against the pandemic.

Despite this uptick in cases, and according to ctmirror.org, Governor Ned Lamont told the Connecticut Restaurant Association that there will be no closures or lockdowns like back in March of 2020. He promised that the restaurants would stay open, and he told the group that he's looking forward to going to each restaurant as soon as he could.

The one saving grace in the state is the number of people that are fully vaccinated. Currently, that number stands at 73%.