Coronavirus Update- End of “Team Sports Pause”, Vaccine Tutorial, Hospital Occupancy, Vaccine & Case Data

January 15^th- In November, the Governor paused team sports in CT from November 23^rd to January 19^th.   This included interscholastic and youth sports.  With the pause ending, where are we?

• The November 9^th CT DPH guidance for interscholastic, youth and other amateur sports is still in effect.  
• On January 8^th, CT DPH provided CIAC with guidance that was in addition to the November 9^th guidance. They have not provided further guidance on youth or other amateur sports.
• Yesterday, January 14^th, CIAC released their plan for play for interscholastic sports.
• The November 9^th guidance, the January 8^th guidance and the CIAC plan all include language related to changes to the general guidance when a community is a red-alert community.  Wilton and all other Fairfield County cities and towns are red-alert communities.  I encourage interested residents to read all of the guidance in its entirety. 
• As was required this summer and fall, any sports program wishing to use town-owned property must submit a plan for play for approval to Wilton’s Health Director Barry Bogle.
• Wilton’s Athletic Director Chris McDougal submitted a plan for each sport for the winter season.  Those plans, based on the CIAC plan approved yesterday, are being reviewed by Wilton’s Health Director.  The plans are being reviewed in the context of the November 9^th and  January 8^th CT DPH guidance. 
• A thorough review of the plans requires more than just the one day after the release of the approved CIAC guidance. Once completed, Barry Bogle will discuss his comments and findings with Dr. Smith and Chris McDougal.
• Wilton’s Parks and Recreation Director Steve Pierce has not yet submitted any plans to the Health Director.  Wilton Youth Sports organizations are encouraged to review the November 9^th guidance, await the review of the WHS plans and direction from Steve Pierce before submitting a plan. 

Social Services Senior Coordinator Stephanie Rowe created a step-by-step VMAS registration tutorial video to help residents in Phases 1B and Phase 1C, who will be using the system to make vaccine appointments. The link to the video is here.

Today, Stamford Hospital and the City of Stamford announced a joint vaccine clinic at the hospital to be open 7 days per week, 12 hours per day beginning this Monday.  Based on a commitment from the State to provide the vaccines, within a few weeks, they hope to administer over 1,000 vaccines per day.  Residents seeking an appointment may want to keep an eye on upcoming availability at Stamford Hospital.  Please remember, if you want to change your appointment, you much first cancel your appointment. 

Average 7-hospital and ICU occupancy for 1/8/21 to 1/14/21 was released.  Local hospitals were as follows for overall occupancy and ICU occupancy:

• Danbury:                     84.4% and 76.4%
• Greenwich:                 85.9% and 76.6%
• Norwalk:                     87.3% and 55.4%
• Stamford:                    73.7% and 79.9%

Vaccine and Case Data:

As of this morning, the CDC reported the following for vaccines:

• Connecticut:  328,775 doses of vaccines delivered. 185,866 doses administered. 166,722 first doses and 17,162 second doses. 
• Nationwide, 31.2 million vaccines had been delivered and 12.3 million doses administered. 10.5 million first doses and 1.6 million second doses. 

The following is data, as of 8:30 p.m. last night, from today’s CT DPH report versus yesterday’s January 12^th report:

• Wilton:  6 new cases reported. 700 cases pandemic-to-day (PTD) 
• Statewide:  1,878 new cases.  6.23% of the 30,303 new tests reported were positive.  223,422 cases PTD.
• Fairfield County:  499 new cases.  65,725 cases PTD.
• Hospitalized Patients:  Statewide, 1,098 with a 20-net patient decrease. Fairfield County, 248 with a 5-net patient increase.
• Deaths:  Statewide, 6,594 with 41 new deaths.  Fairfield County, 1,830 with 5 new deaths.  Wilton, 45, with no new deaths.  

The following chart shows the distribution of known cases by age for the previous periods and the current 7-day period.  Today’s new know cases ranged in age from 20 to 82.

With the uptick in cases and the variant strain of the virus found in Connecticut, please exercise extra caution and behave as if you have the virus and as if those around you do as well.

5 W’s

• Watch your distance
• Wear a mask/face covering when you can’t maintain 6 feet of distance whether indoors or outside
• Walk, run or bike to the right in single file when passing another person on the NRVT, sidewalks and trails
• Wait to host indoor gatherings
• Wash your hands

If you have a question, please email me at lynne.vanderslice@wiltonct.org

Lynne Vanderslice

First Selectwoman