Good evening. This is First Selectman Monica McNally with a COVID-19 update for Thursday, December 2nd.
There have been 50 new cases since my last Code Red update on November 24th. While the number of new cases is heading in a direction that none of us want to see, the good news is that we have had zero hospitalizations to report since April, and first doses have been given to at least half of those eligible in the 5 to 11 year old age group. We are holding our second dose clinics for this age group over the next two Saturdays, and expect to complete the required vaccinations for at least 750 children over that period of time.
One more “dose” of good news is that our interviews continue to reveal that most people testing positive have relatively mild, cold-like symptoms. However, it is worth noting that in-home social gatherings are being identified as a major mode of transmission.
To date there have been 1878 total cases from 1192 unique households. Darien Public Schools report 37 active cases. Children in the 0-11 age group are testing positive by a wide margin.
The Darien Health Department booster clinics are being planned for the next two Tuesdays, December 7th and 14th. These booster clinics are fully booked and unfortunately, walk-ins cannot be accommodated. Please bring your vaccination card with you to your booster appointment, so it may be updated. Additional booster clinics may be added in the near future, so please keep an eye on the Town’s website for more clinic postings. In the meantime, third-party vaccine providers in our area include Grieb’s Pharmacy, Walgreens and CVS.
You can find statewide COVID-19 data at www.ct.gov/coronavirus and town wide data at www.darienct.gov/covid19.
Darien and the rest of the State are seeing increased positivity rates. Because of this recent increase, on the advice of the Darien Director of Health, masks are again required for visitors to Town Hall.
We are monitoring the Omicron variant closely. While I can appreciate a certain level of COVID fatigue, this is not the time to let down our guard.
Even the most basic thing such as washing your hands can help. So let’s spread joy, not COVID this holiday season!
Thank you,
Monica M. McNally