New coronavirus-related deaths ticked up slightly Friday in Connecticut, after declining for most of the rest of the week, as the second phase of business reopening begins to hit its stride with the official start of summer this weekend.
Twelve new COVID-19 associated deaths were reported Friday, bringing the total to 4,238, according to new data released by the state. The state also reported another 117 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 45,557, though the rate of positive tests remained below 2%.
Hospitalizations dropped by just four on Friday, but that continues to extend a steady decline since late April and brings the total number of COVID-19 patients statewide to 172.
Gov. Ned Lamont has touted that those metrics show Connecticut continues to trend in the right direction, but the number of COVID-19 tests administered daily still lags well below the benchmarks officials initially set for the latest phase of business reopenings, which began Wednesday.
The state reported almost 7,300 COVID-19 tests over the past 24 hours, one of the highest totals recorded, the data show. But over the past seven days, the state has reported just over 50,000 tests — only half of the 100,000 tests per week that the public health experts on the state’s reopening task force originally said would be needed to monitor any new outbreaks during the reopening.
Officials have since backed off of that higher figure, noting that other measures indicated the second phase of reopening could happen safely. Josh Geballe, the state’s chief operating officer, also emphasized that those testing plans have adapted as federal guidelines have changed and the state has learned more about when and where it wants focused and repetitive testing, such as congregate settings like jails and nursing homes.
Nursing home deaths
The majority of new deaths over the past week were patients at the state’s nursing homes, which have made up nearly two thirds of all coronavirus deaths since the pandemic began, data show.
Another 71 nursing home patients since last week of the total 99 total people who died over the same time period, according to nursing home specific data released Friday. A total of 2,719 nursing home deaths have been associated with the virus since early March and another 361 have died at assisted living facilities.
Only 20 of the 174 nursing homes that have COVID-19 cases reported any new positives over the past week and majority of those were only one or two, the data show. That indicates the virus’ spread has slowed dramatically, both because some facilities were able to halt the spread and many more simply became saturated with the virus with nearly total infection rates, according to a Courant analysis.
Bishop-Wicke Health and Rehabilitation in Shelton reported the most new cases this past week with 15 new positive test results for the virus, the data show. Forty-five of the facility’s up to 120 residents have tested positive so far and 32 have died.
The state once again did not make public data on how many nursing home patients have recovered from the virus even though nursing home owners said they have been giving the Department of Public Health those numbers for weeks.
A review by the Courant shows that many of the nursing homes with the highest number of deaths overall are now among the facilities with few or no COVID cases at all — Kimberly Hall North where at least 46 have died was deemed COVID-free last week. Abbott Terrace in Waterbury, which has 46 deaths, also has no COVID positive cases now, according to records from the providers.
Providers are privately questioning why the state was so quick to put out death totals but has been reluctant to put out how many people have recovered.
“It was our original goal to publish recovered residents, but we don’t feel the data is good enough to report,” DPH Epidemiologist Dr. Lynne Sosa said in a recent interview.
“They (nursing homes) are reporting to us every day but we have to reconcile all of the data not just from them but from the medical examiner’s office and other data,” she said.
Sosa said the issue is defining what recovered really means, and whether someone who was positive but who now tests negative is completely recovered.
“What does recovery really mean? Does it mean someone isn’t infectious anymore?” Sosa said. “Some people do have long-term complications from this virus that they don’t ever recover from.”
Slight uptick
On the whole, the total number of new deaths both inside and out of hard-hit nursing homes continues to trend downward, despite the slick uptick in daily totals on Friday.
Public health officials have said flattening the curve is not perfectly linear and the slight increase in new coronavirus-related deaths and positive cases Friday is not unusual — several single-day increases have interrupted the state’s otherwise steady downward trend over the past two months.
Should the numbers tick up again each of the next several days, it could cause concern for officials, but Connecticut has so far avoided the massive spikes in new infections and deaths that have gripped states across the country after officials began lifting their pandemic-related restrictions.
This week was a crucial deadline for Connecticut’s phased reopening, which entered its second phase on Wednesday and signaled a return to more normalcy across the state.
Indoor dining, nail salons, fitness centers and other businesses can now welcome customers back, although strict rules about cleaning, physical distancing and face coverings remain constant reminders of the continued public health crisis.
The newly permitted activities are a sign of progress, but Lamont and state officials have warned Connecticut residents must remain vigilant to prevent the the virus from surging back.
“Three days in a row where new cases are less than 2% of total tests and Connecticut is now estimated to have the lowest rate of transmission in the nation,” Geballe tweeted Friday. “Wear those [masks] and let’s keep it there.”
Staff writer Dave Altimari contributed to this report.
Zach Murdock can be reached at zmurdock@courant.com.
