Daily coronavirus updates: COVID-19 positivity rate dips as Connecticut’s numbers show encouraging signs. Two thirds of state is fully vaccinated.

Hartford Courant - 9/3/2021

Connecticut’s seven-day positivity level dipped to its lowest level since mid-August on Friday.

Though Connecticut continues to record high levels of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths relative to earlier this summer, recent trends suggest the state’s outbreak may be, ever so slightly, beginning to wane.

Cases and positivity rate

Connecticut on Friday reported 665 COVID-19 cases out of 24,349 tests, for a single day positivity rate of 2.73% — the lowest since Aug. 13. The state’s seven-day positivity rate now stands at 3.24%, its lowest level since mid-August.

Connecticut has averaged 632 COVID-19 cases a day over the past week, down slightly from earlier this week.

Hospitalizations

As of Friday, Connecticut has 365 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, up eight from Thursday but down from last week.

According to state numbers released Thursday, about 80% of those hospitalized in the state are unvaccinated or of unknown vaccination status.

Deaths

Connecticut reported 39 additional coronavirus-linked deaths Thursday, the most in a seven-day period since mid-May, bringing its total to 8,394 during the pandemic.

The United States has recorded 644,468 COVID-19 deaths, according to the Coronavirus Resource Center at Johns Hopkins University.

Vaccinations

As of Thursday, 74% of all Connecticut residents and 84.9% of those 12 and older had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, while 66.3% of all residents and 76.1% of those 12 and older were fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

Alex Putterman can be reached at aputterman@courant.com.