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CT COVID-19 Cases & Positivity Rate Fall: Town-By-Town Numbers

CONNECTICUT — In its catch-up battle with the coronavirus omicron variant, the federal government has unveiled its latest offensive: two new giveaways.

On Wednesday, the Biden administration announced it will release some 400 million N95 masks from the Strategic National Stockpile for use by Americans, beginning next week. Wednesday was also the day the feds officially launched a website where families can order up to four free COVID-19 tests.

The moves come after the White House fell under intense criticism from public health experts over a low inventory of at-home tests, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention abruptly updated its face covering guidance to prioritize N95 and KN95 masks.

Connecticut residents need to plan ahead to have the rapid COVID-19 tests on hand before they need them — whether as part of test-to-stay protocols in schools and workplaces, or after potential exposure to COVID-19. Orders will be shipped within seven to 12 days.

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The masks will be available for pickup at local community health centers and pharmacies, the Associated Press reported.


The Connecticut Department of Public Health reported the number of hospitalized coronavirus patients in Connecticut has dropped to 1,805, down 14 beds since Tuesday.

DPH does not distinguish among patients who were admitted to a hospital because of COVID-19 symptoms, and those asymptomatic residents admitted for non-COVID reasons who test positive while in the hospital.

The highest number of the hospitalized —565 — are in New Haven County.

COVID-19 infections in the state dropped nearly two percentage points overnight, from Tuesday's 18.44 percent to 16.55 percent, reported by DPH on Wednesday.

The daily coronavirus positivity rate is a function of the number of tests compared to the number of cases confirmed positive each day. Overnight, 4,745 positive cases were logged, out of 28,663 tests taken. The numbers of tests and cases confirmed do not include those taken with at-home self-test kits.

Of the 1,805 COVID-19 patients in Connecticut, 1,226 (67.9 percent) are not fully vaccinated.


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For the week beginning Jan. 2, the risk of unvaccinated persons testing positive for COVID-19 as compared to fully vaccinated persons is 3.4 times greater, according to DPH, and their risk of death is 18.6 times greater.

Instructions on how to get COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters in Connecticut are available online, as is a list of walk-up clinics sponsored by DPH.

This article originally appeared on the Ridgefield Patch