Health data reported by the CT Department of Public Health on Thursday, Feb. 10 continue to reflect the declining impact of COVID-19 locally and across the state. Wilton’s reported statistics as of Wednesday, Feb. 9 show some of the lowest case numbers in several weeks. In addition, vaccination numbers continue to increase and demonstrate one of the highest rates in Connecticut.
- According to the CT Department of Public Health, there were 18 new one-day cases reported for Wilton in the last week (Feb. 3-9). The prior week (Jan. 27-Feb. 2) there were 44 cases.
- In the first nine days of February, there have been 38 cases reported. The total number of cases recorded in January was 663, which represents 26.5% of all the COVID cases in Wilton since the start of the pandemic.
- The two-week test positivity rate is now at 5.40%, the lowest it’s been since Dec. 21, 2021.
- Wilton’s 14-day rolling average daily case number dropped from 56.21 to 22.25 cases per 100,000, just one day after the most recent low of 21.08. That’s the lowest it’s been since Dec. 17, 2021, almost two months ago when the Omicron wave started.
- There are two new deaths to report, bringing the total number of deaths linked to COVID-19 in Wilton at 55.
Wilton Schools
Superintendent Kevin Smith has shifted back to weekly updates. On Thursday, Feb. 10, he reported that there have been only 10 new COVID cases in the district over seven days of reporting. This is a sharp decline from January rates.
Smith said those new cases were distributed over three schools: Wilton High School (3), Cider Mill (3), and Miller-Driscoll (4).
In all, according to the district’s COVID-19 daily tracker, there are nine students currently confirmed positive and in isolation; and one student and one teacher in quarantine after close contact.
Vaccination Rates
With the state now reporting boosters, Wilton gets an even clearer picture of how residents are covered by vaccinations.
Overall, almost 95% of all Wilton residents have received the first dose of the vaccine; 85% have received the second COVID vaccine; and just over half (50.44%) have completed the three-shot series.
Looking at the eligible population (people over age 5), almost 98% of eligible residents have started the vaccination series; just under 88% have gotten a second shot; and 52% of those eligible have also been boostered.
The state also provides a breakdown by age group, below:
This is all good news, but we’re still at less than half of 5-11 vaccinated (and of course nobody under 5), and 10 cases still means 10 kids with the potential to infect dozens of their classmates. And there’s also no guarantee the declines will actually continue – they didn’t last year, we saw a hopeful dip in early February and then it stalled out until May.
Ending mask mandates in, say, late March or April, if we get to a point where we’re seeing multiple weeks of zero cases in the schools, might make sense; ending them now for no reason other than some bad polling and a couple of people loudly declaring they’re “done with COVID” (as if that means anything to COVID) is madness.
(Also on the ‘bad polling’ front, it bears reminding that the next municipal elections aren’t until 2023 and that due to party balancing rules the Democrats will not even be allowed to win more than one of the three [Board of Education] seats that’ll be up then – from an electoral perspective there’s absolutely no reason to do anything but follow science and good judgment here, they’re as insulated from the transient whims of voters as any elected BoE in the country.)