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State COVID-19 positivity rate rises above 3% for first time in months

Hospitalizations for COVID-19 are also up. As of August 2, there are 148 COVID-19 patients.

CONNECTICUT, USA — For the first time in months, Connecticut has surpassed a 3% positivity rate and more than 140 hospitalizations as the state continues to experience a surge of the Delta variant. 

Connecticut reported it administered 39,189 tests and 1,245 came back positive. The positivity rate from July 30 to August 2 was 3.18%. 

Hospitalizations have increased by 32 patients since Friday. There are now 148 patients being treated for COVID-19 in the hospital. The county with the most hospitalizations in New Haven County with 50 patients. 

"There is certainly a reason to be concerned and home some caution," said  UConn Health's Dr. David Banach." We are seeing increases in cases and hospitalizations going up statewide. I think this is a time that we have to be cautious, be mindful of our surroundings, and doing what we can to protect ourselves." 

Most of Connecticut, with the exception of Litchfield County, has been listed by the CDC as an area of substantial COVID-19 community transmission. 

Connecticut is one of the best states in terms of vaccinated population. There are now 2,161,166 residents who are fully vaccinated as of August 2. A question has now risen on how effective the vaccines are against the Delta variant, but the answer has experts divided. 

"Well we're still gathering information on that topic," said Southern Connecticut State University's Dr. Sarah Crawford. "we know that there is a significant decreased risk if you're vaccinated but it does go up slightly compared to other variants." 

As of August 2, Connecticut has now official mask or vaccine mandates. Senior Advisor to Gov. Lamont, Dr. Deirdre Gifford released a statement saying Connecticut "strongly recommends" following the CDC's recommendations on wearing face masks indoors.

Dr. Crawford said that more people need to get vaccinated to prevent future outbreaks like this from happening. 

"Unless more people get the vaccine, we're going to be facing this issue of further viral infections, escalation of situations that may be reminiscent of the pandemic last year. We really have to work together," said Dr. Crawford. 

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