Wilton’s new total count of COVID-19 positive cases reached 235* on Tuesday, July 28, an increase of two* cases from the previous day, according to data released by the CT Department of Public Health (DPH). Statewide, Gov. Ned Lamont expressed concern at his daily press briefing about the rise in the number of cases among teens and young adults seen by DPH in COVID outbreak clusters around Connecticut. Information from the governor’s office says, “Statistics from CT and elsewhere show that 18 to 29-year-olds represent substantial numbers of new COVID-19 infections in recent weeks.”

“Connecticut has one of the lowest COVID-19 infection rates in the country right now, but if we are not careful, this can change rapidly,” Lamont said. “We do not want to end up with uncontrolled outbreaks like those being seen across much of the south and western portions of the United States.”

Dr. Deidre S. Gifford, the DPH acting commissioner, pointed to the increase in socializing among the age group. “As many as 40% of COVID cases can be asymptomatic. That means if you go to a party with a crowd and without a mask, even if you are feeling well you can spread COVID to others who may become very ill. They can spread COVID to older or more vulnerable family and friends. To keep all of Connecticut safe, everyone needs to do their part and stick with the rules.”

The governor’s office also noted that DPH has received anecdotal, unconfirmed information regarding youth sports team travel to states on Connecticut’s travel advisory list. Under the governor’s order, all adults and children who participate in nonessential, out-of-state travel are required to complete a traveler information form upon their return to Connecticut and self-quarantine for 14 days. Teams who choose to travel to states on the travel advisory list need to cancel practices and competition for the 14 days after their return to Connecticut in order to comply with the order. Failure to comply may result in a $1,000 penalty.

In her nightly update, First Selectwoman Lynne Vanderslice wrote that “residents aged 0-19 accounted for 14.5% of all cases since the start of Phase 2, compared to 4.2% prior to Phase 2.  Residents aged 20-29 accounted for 23.8% of all cases since the start of Phase 2, compared to 11.8% prior to Phase 2.”

Lamont cautioned how quickly the virus can spread–and how that could threaten opening up the state’s economy further or the return to in-person learning for the start of the school year.

“A small cluster of cases can turn into hundreds of new infections within days. If you multiply that, we are looking at major impact to our ability to continue to reopen our economy or even send children back to school in September for in-person instruction. We need your help, and we are counting on you.  So please, we ask you again–wear your mask, wash your hands, and maintain social distancing wherever possible.”

Also on Tuesday, Lamont added five locations to the travel advisory:  Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Puerto Rico, and Washington, DC.

By the Numbers (July 28)

Here are the current updates related to the COVID-19 public health crisis in Wilton and across Connecticut in the Last week, as of 8:30 p.m. on Monday, July 27:

CT DPH reported the following for Wilton as of July 27:

  • Total Wilton cases:  235 (+2)
    • July 26:  233 (* one case erroneously reported on July 23 was removed from the total count)
    • July 23:  234
    • July 22:  231
  • Total Wilton fatalities:  42 (+0)
  • Number of Wilton residents tested:  2,502
  • Number of tests performed:  3,288

CT DPH reported the following for Fairfield County as of July 27:

  • Total Fairfield County Cases:   17,494 (+35 since July 26)
    • Confirmed:  16,840
    • Probable:  654
  • Total Fairfield County Deaths: 1,403 deaths  (+1 since July 26)
    • Confirmed:  1,091
    • Probable:  312
  • Total Current Fairfield County Hospitalized patients:  18 (-1 since July 26)

CT DPH reported the following for statewide as of July 27:

  • Total CT cases:  49,077  (+94 since July 26)
  • Total CT deaths:  4,423 (+5 since July 26)
  • Total Current State hospitalized patients:  54 (-5 since July 26)
  • Total tests performed in CT:  750,700 (+7,638 since July 26)

It is important to note that these newly reported updates include data that occurred over the last several days to a week. All data in this report are preliminary, and data for previous dates will be updated as new reports are received and data errors are corrected. Hospitalization data were collected by the Connecticut Hospital Association. Deaths* reported to either OCME or DPH are included in the daily COVID-19 update.

Visit the state’s coronavirus webpage for several additional charts and tables containing more data groups, including a town-by-town breakdown of positive cases in each municipality and a breakdown of cases and deaths among age groups.