By Paul Hughes, Republican-American
HARTFORD — More than 3,000 people in Connecticut have now died from the coronavirus as the state passed another grim and sorrowful milestone in the viral outbreak.
The reported deaths reached 3,008 with another 41 confirmed and probable deaths from coronavirus disease that the Department of Public Health reported Monday
The first COVID-19 death in Connecticut was reported on March 18, and fatalities crossed the 1,000 threshold on April 17. A little more than three weeks later the death toll tripled.
The number of the dead is comparable to the population of one of the state’s smaller towns. A little more than two dozen of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities have less than 3,500 people, according to the latest census figures.
GOV. NED LAMONT RECALLED how in early March, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adkins compared the unfolding coronavirus outbreak to a bad flu season during a visit to Connecticut.
At that time, Adkins stated that he would be shocked if hospitalizations and deaths from coronavirus would near the numbers for influenza in the country.
“In a really bad flu season, we lose about 100 people,” Lamont said, looking back Monday.
So far, 79 people have died in the 2019-20 flu season since the first two influenza-associated deaths were reported in early November, and 88 people died in the 2018-19 flu season.
The number of hospitalizations for COVID-19 was approaching 9,400 when the latest statewide total was released last Thursday. In contrast, there were approximately 3,500 flu-associated hospitalization through mid-April, according to the latest available figure.
“Our example is replicated really 49 other times around the country, and shame on us for underestimating perhaps what could have happened,” Lamont said
Approximately 2,150 of the dead were white, 450 were black, and 260 were Hispanic, according to updated statistics released Monday.
There have been 116 deaths of African-Americans per 100,000 people, compared to 89 per 100,000 for whites, 44 for Hispanics, and 17 for Asians and Pacific Islanders.
PEOPLE OVER AGE 80 represent approximately 60% of the reported fatalities from COVID-19, and more than 90% of the deaths have involved individuals age 60 and older.
Residents of nursing homes represent more than half of the confirmed and probable deaths that have been reported.
Lamont and Josh Geballe, the governor’s chief operating officer, described an ongoing testing program for the state’s 215 nursing homes Monday.
“In the last week since we started testing more broadly in nursing homes, we have now deployed 2,400 test kits to 20 nursing homes, including straight through this weekend,” Geballe said. “So, that activity is ramping up significantly. Exactly how long it take us to get through all the nursing homes we’re looking at that based on testing volumes and the availability of swabs and so forth, but we are moving quickly now.”
LOCALLY, THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY HEALTH DISTRICT reported there have been 252 laboratory-confirmed cases of coronavirus in Naugatuck and 41 in Beacon Falls as of Monday. The health district reported that the number of coronavirus-associated deaths among Naugatuck residents reached 11. The health district hasn’t reported any coronavirus-associated deaths among Beacon Falls residents.
The Naugatuck Valley Health District serves the towns of Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Naugatuck, Seymour and Shelton. The health district reported 1,260 confirmed cases of coronavirus within its jurisdiction and 139 confirmed and 24 probable deaths. One hundred of the confirmed coronavirus-associated deaths were people 80 years old and older, according to the health district.
The health district reported that 333 of the confirmed cases came from residents of a nursing home, assisted living facility or group home, and 127 of those people died due to COVID-19 complications.
The Chesprocott Health District, which serves Cheshire, Prospect and Wolcott, reported there have been 48 cases of coronavirus in Prospect and no deaths.
THE STATEWIDE INFECTION RATE continued to increase Monday, while hospitalizations for COVID-19 continued to decline.
Public health officials reported 33,675 people in Connecticut have tested positive for the coronavirus, up 211 from its previous report. There was a net decline of 30 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 to 1,212.
The governor’s office reported Monday that the Department of Public Health distributed the state’s first allotment of 1,200 doses of remdesivir to acute care hospitals. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday cleared Gilead Science’s intravenous drug for hospitalized patients who have severe symptoms of COVID-19.
The announcement said the state has so far has received 30 cases of 40 doses each, and the governor’s office is working to secure more doses with state’s congressional delegation and Connecticut Hospital Association.
Elio Gugliotti contributed to this report.