As COVID case numbers continue to decrease in Wilton and elsewhere, residents are beginning to see some stricter mitigation protocols relaxing again. Nowhere is it more evident than in the school district.
COVID Case Numbers/Vaccination Rates
Case numbers in Wilton are gradually decreasing as the Omicron variant wanes.
Case count (Friday, Dec. 21-Sunday, Dec. 23): 36
Test positivity (Friday, Dec. 21-Sunday, Dec. 23): 12.54%
14-day rolling average daily case count (per 100,000): 94.46 (down from high of 170.57, see graph above)
Total cases since the start of the pandemic: 2,391
Total cases in January 2022: 595
Wilton vaccination rates rose slightly this past week (the CT Department of Public Health reports vaccination statistics weekly every Thursday).
Of the residents eligible to receive the vaccine, almost 96% of them have received the first shot, and 83.45% have gotten the second dose. Of the town’s total population, 93% have started the vaccine process, and 81% are double-dosed.
Another way to look at it, 116 Wilton residents started the vaccine process, and 100 Wilton residents got their second COVID vaccine dose this past week.
State Statistics
New COVID cases (Friday, Jan. 21-Sunday, Jan. 23): 12,057
Hospitalizations (patients with COVID): 1,477 (-218)
Daily Test Positivity: 11.36%
Wilton Schools
In Superintendent Kevin Smith’s email to the school community on Monday, Jan. 24, he said 18 new COVID cases had been reported over the weekend (Wilton High School: 6; Middlebrook: 3; Cider Mill: 4; and Miller-Driscoll: 5).
In total, there are 35 COVID positive cases among students and staff, and 7 people are in quarantine after close contact with a COVID case.
Smith announced that, based on the declining COVID-positivity rates in the area, the Wilton Public Schools are relaxing certain COVID precautions. Effective Tuesday, Jan. 25, the district will allow visitors to enter the buildings. Officials do continue to require proof of vaccination (or proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken with 72 hours of arrival on campus).
However, he wrote that some interactions with parents and families will continue to be held by Zoom unless otherwise noted in advance, including PPT meetings. Any families who currently have Zoom meetings scheduled will continue to attend remotely “unless they are able to confirm with the school-based person leading the meeting that it will be on-site,” Smith wrote.
The district will also allow more visitors at athletic events again, although still on a somewhat limited basis. School officials will permit 50% spectator capacity at indoor events, and tickets must be purchased ahead of time online.
There is no cost for Wilton students to attend; however, all students must show a student ID at the door for attendance purposes. The student section will be across from the Wilton bench.