A new tool the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention introduced last week shows that in New London County — in all eight Connecticut counties, in fact — COVID-19’s impact on health care systems is “low,” the best classification available.
“COVID-19 Community Levels,” as the CDC calls them, are based on a combination of three metrics: new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 population in the past seven days, the percentage of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, and total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in the past seven days.
“New COVID-19 admissions and the percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied represent the current potential for strain on the health system,” the CDC says. “Data on new cases acts as an early warning indicator of potential increases in health system strain in the event of a COVID-19 surge.”
Community levels can be “low,” “medium” or “high.”
Ledge Light Health District’s latest weekly COVID-19 report, issued Thursday, cited the new CDC tool and the “low” community-level designation that calls for New London County residents to stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and get tested for the disease if they have symptoms.
Residents of counties with a “medium” community level of COVID-19 who are immunocompromised or otherwise at high risk for severe illness also should talk to their doctor about whether they need to wear a mask or take other precautions. Those living in counties with “high” community level should wear a mask indoors in public.
As of Thursday, all counties in Connecticut and Rhode Island had “low” community levels, according to CDC data.
Stephen Mansfield, Ledge Light’s director of health, commented on the CDC’s new tool in an email exchange Friday.
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, LLHD has relied on guidance from the CDC to help shape our local policies,” Mansfield wrote. “Moving to this new metric is a logical progression as we move from a pandemic to endemic COVID scenario, as it takes into account not only community transmission rates, but also the number of hospital beds being used, hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID cases in a specific geographical area.”
“It is important for everyone to recognize that COVID is still out there, and that the reduction or elimination of state and local mandates shouldn’t replace common sense measures that each of us can use to help stop the spread of COVID and other respiratory illnesses,” he added.
COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the area have continued to drop in recent weeks. Ledge Light, which covers nine southern New London County municipalities, reported that 201 cases of the disease had been detected in the district during the week that ended Feb. 26.
In the two-week period that ended Feb. 26, Ledge Light found fewer than 375 cases in community settings (not including such congregate settings as nursing homes, assisted living facilities and correctional facilities), ranging from a low of fewer than five in Lyme to 107 in New London.
New London, where nearly 7,000 tests were given in the two-week period, had a positivity rate under 2%, the lowest in the district.
Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London reported Friday it had four COVID-19 patients and Westerly Hospital had one.
Statewide data released Friday show 432 new cases of COVID-19 had been detected among 19,425 tests, a positivity rate of 2.22%. Hospitalizations numbered 167, four fewer than the day before. Five of the state’s counties — New London, Litchfield, Middlesex, Tolland and Windham — had no more than eight patients apiece. Tolland County had none.
The bulk of the hospitalizations — 86% — were in Fairfield, Hartford and New Haven counties.
