The state said today its Westport COVID-19 case count was up two at 387 (371 confirmed and 16 probable) and deaths unchanged at 23.
The number of Connecticut residents hospitalized with COVID-19 has nearly doubled in just nine days, official data show, as the state continues to face higher rates of coronavirus transmission.
According to numbers released today, Connecticut currently has 138 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, up from 75 on Sept. 28 and more than triple the state’s total at its mid-August low point.
Though much of Connecticut has seen an increase in coronavirus hospitalizations, the spike has been particularly notable in Hartford County — which leads the state with 44 hospitalized COVID-19 patients — and New London County — which has more patients currently hospitalized (28) than at any time since May 9.
Despite the sharp uptick, Connecticut still has less than 10% as many hospitalized patients as it had in late April, when local hospitals nearly exceeded their capacity. That said, the rise in hospitalizations appears to indicate a significant increase in COVID-19 transmission.
Hospitalizations are considered a useful metric for measuring coronavirus spread because they are not as subject to testing fluctuations as total cases and test positivity rate.
Also today, Gov. Ned Lamont announced 123 positive results out of 7,617 COVID-19 tests, for a rate of 1.6%. The state has now experienced a 1.4% positivity rate over the past seven days, about twice what it recorded at times over the summer.
Still, Lamont said today that the state will proceed with its next phase of reopening, scheduled for Thursday.
The new phase will allow indoor dining at restaurants to increase from 50% to 75% capacity, along with relaxed restrictions on hair salons, barber shops, libraries, places of worship, outdoor concerts and more.
