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Coronavirus Update- Resident Questions, Underreported Cases and Deaths, Case Data & New Executive Orders

Posted on: April 22, 2020 - 8:35pm

April 22nd – In the past few days, I have received questions from residents, which may be of interest to many of you:

  • Will the Town be providing more identifying information about Wilton patients and deaths?  Patient data is protected by federal HIPPA laws.  Information provided to Wilton's Health Director is regulated as to distribution and is not public. If through contact tracing you have been identified as coming into contact with a patient, you will be notified by the Wilton Health Department. 
  • Why isn’t the number of Wilton deaths included in the daily update?  As we have repeatedly stated, we are cautious about the accuracy of case data. We are more uncertain about the number of deaths reported, as we have no way to fact check or determine their reasonableness. I report daily data to help residents be informed. I would rather provide no data versus data in which I am not confident and which could be misleading. 
  • Are in-home services, such as barber, hair dressing, tennis instruction or personal training allowed under the Governor’s Executive Orders?  Only services classified as essential are allowed to operate.  None of these services are classified as essential and cannot be provided, even in a private or in-home setting.  
  • How does Connecticut’s share of tested population compare to other states?  What is Connecticut’s testing plan?  Connecticut has historically lagged surrounding states in testing due to shortages of PPE and test kits.  As reported in an April 17th NYTimes article, Connecticut had a 7-day average daily test rate per 100,000 residents of 85 per day.  NYS was 118, Rhode Island 185 and Massachusetts 92. Yesterday, the Governor announced a partnership with Quest Diagnostics and HartfordHealthCare that could result in up to an 80% increase in daily testing.  On today’s call with the Governor and his leadership team, we were told the State is developing a plan to further ramp up of testing. Details were not available at this time. 
  • Westport has announced they are using a drone to monitor social distancing. Is this being done in Wilton?  If not, is drone use being considered?  We are not using a drone to monitor behavior, nor do we have any plan to do so. 

Today, we learned there was a lag in reporting from one lab that services Fairfield County.  As a result, mid-Fairfield County communities experienced one-day double digit percentage increases in cases, ranging from Norwalk at 41% to Ridgefield at 12%.  Wilton increased 13%.

Today, CT DPH reports 22,469 laboratory-confirmed statewide cases with 9,883 or 44% in Fairfield County and 135 in Wilton.  Approximately 2.4% of total reported cases have not yet been assigned to a municipality. Today’s test positive rate increased to 37%.  Currently 1.96% of the State’s population has been tested.  Deaths rose by 121 to 1,544 with Fairfield County at 584.  The number of patients currently hospitalized increased by 23 to 1,972 with an increase of 14 in Fairfield County to 749. Patients hospitalized statewide are at their highest level, though the Fairfield County total is less than the levels on April 15th through April 18th.  Last week, we saw large increases in the number of cases in Bridgeport, as the virus had moved north. This may explain the increase in Fairfield County hospitalizations. 

Tonight, the Governor issued Executive Order 7DD, which facilitates the expansion of the healthcare workforce. Last night’s Executive Order 7CC included changes related to court requirements and the repeal of sections of Executive Order 7U which provided financial relief for uninsured and out-of-network services.  

As always, if you have any questions, please email the appropriate town department or me at lynne.vanderslice@wiltonct.org. 

Thank you,

Lynne Vanderslice

First Selectwoman

What should you do to stop the spread?

  • Stay home.
  • Maintain a distance of 6 feet between you and another person.  This standard applies whether inside or outside.  
  • Wear a mask when in public.
  • Respect the Governor’s prohibition on social or recreational gatherings of more than 5 people, including leisure gatherings.
  • Consolidate your shopping and errands to minimize the numbers of days you must leave your home.  If the store parking lot is more than half full, return home and shop at another time.
  • Take advantage of the delivery options offered by many Wilton businesses.
  • Practice your team sport on your own, not with your teammates.  The internet is full of videos and suggestions on how to do this. 
  • Do walk outside. If your street is walkable, please consider walking there rather than a public trail. When the NRVT parking lot, or that of another trail, is more than 50% full, please find another place to walk.  There are 127 miles of town-owned roads, more than 80 private roads and more than 3 miles of sidewalk on state-owned roads.
  • Please respect the town’s closure of fields and recreation facilities.  

Visual of Connecticut Cases by Town