COVID-19 is spreading slower in Darien than it has since November, although the 76 new cases so far this month, as reported by the town Health Department, is still way above the 44 reported in all of October.
Here are the latest reports on COVID-19’s course through Darien from three different sources: First Selectman Jayme Stevenson’s report to the town, the weekly town Health Department report and a joint message from schools Superintendent Alan Addley and the district’s Director of Nursing Services, Alicia Casucci.
Darienite.com has taken some slides from the Health Department’s report, (released on Thursday) and mixed them in with Stevenson’s message when they give overlapping information. Other slides from the department’s report are in their own section at the bottom.
(Numbers sometimes differ between state and town reports, due to reporting sources and counting methods, but patterns and trends often can still be seen.) All captions in the slides are from Darienite.com.
Full Text of Stevenson’s Message
Stevenson’s message went out late Thursday afternoon to Darienites subscribed to CodeRED notices. It is published today on the town government website:
Good evening. This is First Selectman Jayme Stevenson with important COVID-19 update for Thursday, March 18.
There have been 50 new cases and 1 hospitalization during the two-week period since March 5. There are 1,271 total cases from 812 unique households. Darien Public Schools report 15 active cases resulting in 182 quarantines.
Fewer people are getting tested in roughly the first half of March. The positivity rate is a bit lower than other recent months (except for February’s rate, which is an outlier). From Darien Health Department’s March 18 COVID-19 report.
According to this chart, positive COVID-19 tests by week peaked in early January, went way down by mid-February and rose again from then to early March. The most recent week was extraordinarily low, with fewer positive cases than any week since early October. From Darien Health Department’s March 18 COVID-19 report.
From Darien Health Department’s March 18 COVID-19 report.
There are lots of positive and hopeful changes beginning tomorrow, March 19. Regarding vaccine, anyone [aged] 45+ may register beginning tomorrow.
The governor anticipates accelerating the expansion of vaccine eligibility to anyone 16+ on April 5 based on the anticipation that Connecticut will begin receiving up to 200,000 doses per week beginning in early April.
Also, beginning tomorrow, travel quarantines and capacity limits are eliminated for most businesses, including restaurants, gyms, personal services and houses of worship.
All high schools sports can practice and compete in tournaments. Social gatherings at private homes of up to 25 inside and 100 outside and at commercial venues of 100 people indoors and 200 people outdoors will be allowed.
Some safety rules will stay in effect and mask wearing and distancing are still required. More roll backs are anticipated on April 2.
Getting Vaccinated
Darien Vaccine Clinics are now open to those who are eligible by enrolling through the state’s online Vaccine Enrollment at DPHsubmissions.ct.gov/OnlineVaccine or by calling 1-877-918-2224. Please be patient when seeking a vaccine appointment as vaccine supply is still limited.
Vaccines are also available at
—Grieb’s Pharmacy GriebsPharmacy.com ,
—Walgreens Walgreens.com/ScheduleVaccine,
—Stamford Hospital StamfordHealth.org, and
—beginning this week, at certain Stop & Shop pharmacies StopandShop.com.
Homebound residents can access vaccine by calling the Darien Health & Human Services Department at (203) 656-7328.
[Editor’s note: You can click on the links in the slide just below by going to the report itself, here, on the town government website. The “Important References” page is the second slide in the report.]
From the Darien Health Department weekly COVID-19 report
Vaccinations. Image from Darien Health Department COVID-19 weekly report.
The CDC has issued guidance for individuals who are fully vaccinated and beyond the 14-day post-vaccine period. The guidance is posted on the town website under COVID-19 Resources.
Fully vaccinated people can:
- Visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or distancing
- Visit with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or distancing
- Refrain from quarantine and testing following a known exposure if asymptomatic
You can find statewide COVID-19 data at www.ct.gov/Coronavirus and town wide data at DarienCT.gov/Covid19.
As rules begin to be relaxed and planning is underway for graduations, proms, weddings and outdoor events, please remember the best offense is a good defense. Wear your masks and distance so positive trends can continue.
Thank you and good evening.
Full Text of School District Message
This message went to parents and school district employees on Thursday evening:
Dear Parents and Community Members:
Today, March 18, 2021, the Darien Public Schools District COVID Response Team was notified about two (2) individuals who tested positive for COVID-19.
The affected individuals have been instructed to remain home in self-isolation for ten (10) days from the date of their positive test. All family members have also been instructed to self-quarantine and get tested.
|
Location |
Last Day in Building |
Contact Tracing: Additional Individuals Quarantined |
|
Hindley |
3.8.21 |
0 |
|
DHS |
3.17.21 |
41 |
The details of these cases have been reviewed with the Darien Health Department and our District Medical Advisor. Contact tracing has been completed and it has been determined forty-one (41) additional school community members are considered close contacts and will require a 10-day quarantine from the date of last contact.
Your continued diligence with monitoring for symptoms and practicing preventative measures is greatly appreciated. Please keep your child home if they are experiencing symptoms or if they are awaiting test results, even if they are not experiencing any symptoms.
Thank you for your ongoing collaborative efforts in helping to protect the well-being of our greater community.
Sincerely,
Dr. Alan Addley, Ed.D
Superintendent
Alicia Casucci, APRN, CPNP
Director of Nursing Services
Town Health Department COVID-19 Report
Except for the slides shown above, here is the rest of the 10-page report. The full report can be found here on the town government website:
