By Richard Kaufman
COVID-19 numbers in Greenwich continue to improve, according to the latest update from the Town and Greenwich Hospital.
“We’re seeing better and better numbers as we go along. With more people being vaccinated and the weather starting to show signs of getting a little bit better, things are starting to look up for everybody. We’re not there yet, but things are looking better,” said First Selectman Fred Camillo on Wednesday, during the weekly COVID briefing. Camillo was joined by Greenwich Hospital VP of Public Relations, Dana Marnane.
As of Tuesday, Feb. 23, there were 140 active cases of COVID-19 in town, down 40 from the week prior. Total cases since the pandemic began sat at 3,919, up 118 from Feb. 16. Since that date, the rate of cases per 100,000 has gone down by 11.4 to 37.6. The death toll of Greenwich residents, however, increased by two over the last week to 81.
At Greenwich Hospital, numbers have remained steady. As of Wednesday morning, there were 28 positive patients being treated in-house, with two of those patients in the Intensive Care Unit on ventilators. Marnane said that patient numbers have been going up and down in recent days, fluctuating from mid 20s to low 30s.
Across five hospitals in the Yale New Haven Health System, there were 213 COVID patients being treated as of Wednesday. Last week, there were 215.
“Numbers are pretty flat system-wide, but staying low which is great,” Marnane said.
Since the pandemic began, Greenwich Hospital has discharged 1,205 patients.
Vaccinations
To date, the Yale New Haven Health System has vaccinated over 100,000 people. Locally at the Brunswick School vaccination clinic, over 6,000 people have received shots.
Earlier this week, Gov. Ned Lamont announced that vaccine eligibility will be strictly age-based going forward.
Starting on Monday, March 1, Connecticut residents aged 55 and older will be able to sign up for vaccine appointments. Additionally, vaccine clinics will be specifically set up around the state for preK-12 school staff and teachers, and professional childcare providers, who can also begin scheduling appointments on March 1. Both Camillo and Marnane said they have not had any discussions about setting up teacher-specific clinics in town, but that group can still make appointments at any of the clinics in Greenwich. To look up CT vaccine clinics, go to ct.gov/covidvaccine
At 12:01 a.m. on March 1, eligible residents can go to ynhhs.org/covidvaccine to find an appointment at a Yale New Haven Health site. The Greenwich Department of Health utilizes the Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS). For more information, go to the Dept. of Health page at greenwichct.gov.
Lamont hopes the age-based schedule and strategy will allow everyone in Connecticut, including essential workers and those with chronic conditions, to know when they will be able to schedule an appointment. The schedule is as follows:
March 1, 2021: Expands to age group 55 to 64
March 22, 2021: Expands to age group 45 to 54
April 12, 2021: Expands to age group 35 to 44
May 3, 2021: Expands to age group 16 to 34
“I’m certainly not going to second guess the Governor’s advisers who steered him in this direction. I do worry about those with underlying conditions. As we’ve seen with this virus, it’s unpredictable,” Camillo said on Wednesday when asked about the change in state strategy. “You feel for people who were told they’re next, then all of a sudden the rules got changed in the middle of the game…You just have to follow the rules as they’re presented to us, and hopefully the supply [of vaccine] will increase and we’ll get there safely and quickly.”
Camillo, who is eligible in the next round, said he plans on staying up until midnight Monday morning so he can sign up for a vaccination.
Park and Beach Access
With warmer weather on the horizon, Camillo said there are currently no plans to have additional or more restrictive measures in place on park or beach use around town.
“I think right now, we think that things are going to be getting better with each passing week as long as people keep adhering to the guidelines,” he said. “Certainly, there are a lot of positive indicators out there. The job of many of us who have a pulpit is to keep sounding the alarm to stay the course. Don’t let your guard down now, especially in this late stage. Keep focused and we’ll get there quickly and safely.”
