LYME/OLD LYME — The Daily Data Report for Connecticut issued Wednesday, Feb. 17, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) for data as at 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 16, shows that cumulative cases (confirmed and probable) since the pandemic began in Lyme have increased by one to 84, while in Old Lyme they are at 276.

The cumulative totals reported yesterday (Tuesday, Feb. 16) for data as at 8:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 15, were 83 for Lyme, which was the same as those reported Monday’s, while Old Lyme’s were up one at 277, but that has now been reduced back to Monday’s total of 276 today.

It should be noted that Monday reports always include data for the previous Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Old Lyme – No Change in Confirmed Cases

Old Lyme now has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 269 confirmed COVID-19 cases and SEVEN probable cases, making a TOTAL of 276 cases. (The numbers for Tuesday, Feb. 16, were respectively 270 confirmed and 7 probable cases.)

This represents NO CHANGE in the cumulative number of confirmed or probable cases.

The total number of Old Lyme residents tested is 4,587, the same as the previous day’s number.

Lyme – No Change in Confirmed Cases 

Lyme now has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 77 confirmed cases and SEVEN probable cases, making a TOTAL of 84 cases.

This represents NO CHANGE in the cumulative number of confirmed cases over the number reported Tuesday, Feb. 16, and an INCREASE of ONE in the cumulative number of probable cases.

There have been no fatalities in Lyme.

The total number of Lyme residents tested remains at 1,224, the same as the previous day’s number.

Old Lyme Still in Red (Highest) Zone for Two-Week New Case Rate, Lyme in (Lowest) Gray

The report issued Friday, Feb. 12, by the CT DPH for the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks shows that Old Lyme is still in the state-identified ‘Red Zone’ with the highest rate of new cases, where it has been since early December 2020.

Lyme, however, has moved back into the Gray Zone — the zone which has the lowest rate of new cases — for the first time since Dec. 18, 2020.

As of the Feb. 12 report, Lyme now joins Bridgewater, Canaan, Cornwall, Colebrook, Norfolk, Scotland, Union and Warren  in the Gray Zone, while Deep River, Barkhamsted, Kent, Redding and Salisbury are in the Orange Zone –.

• The gray category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is less than five or less than five reported cases.
• The orange category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is between 10 and 14.
• The red category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town exceeds 15.

In all cases, this rate does not include cases or tests among residents of nursing home, assisted living, or correctional facilities.

Three Fatalities in Old Lyme Since Pandemic Began, None in Lyme

According to the report mentioned above, there have now been THREE fatalities in Old Lyme. Asked Tuesday, Feb. 9, for details of this third fatality, Ledge Light Health Department Director of Health Stephen Mansfield responded, “We have not been notified of any recent deaths in Old Lyme. Keep in mind that that report is compiled by the Connecticut Department of Public Health; deaths are not reportable to local health districts.”

He added, “I can’t speak for their data sources.”

The two fatalities from Old Lyme previously reported in 2020 were a 61-year-old female and an 82-year-old male.

Lyme’s cumulative total stayed constant at 78 in Wednesday’s CT DPH report holding at Tuesday’s number.

More Detail on Two-Week Case Rates

On Thursday, Feb. 11, Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) also issued their latest two-week  report of COVID data for the municipalities within their District. Ledge Light Director of Health Stephen Mansfield prefaces the report with the comment, “We are encouraged to see a moderate decrease in cases for the 4^th consecutive reporting period, and are hopeful that this trend will continue.”

The latest two-week case rate per 100,000 population announced Thursday, Feb. 11, has fallen in both Lyme and Old Lyme, which, in turn, reflects the fact that the number of cases has fallen in both towns over the two week-period.

The two-week case rate for the period 1/24 to 2/06 decreased (compared with the previous two-week case rate for 1/17 to 1/30)  as follows:

• Lyme from 21.4 to 12.2
• Old Lyme from 38.8 to 25.2.

The same report shows that the number of cases recorded for the period 1/24 to 2/06 also decreased (compared with the previous two-week case rate for 1/17 to 1/30 shown in parentheses) as follows:

• Lyme had 2 (5) cases in Week 1 and 2 (2) in Week 2
• Old Lyme had 17 (23) cases in Week 1 and 9 (17) in Week 2

This data was updated Feb. 11, 2021.

Connecticut Hospital Occupancy

At the request of several readers, we are adding a new report today showing the respective rates of hospital occupancy at local hospitals. The data for this report is obtained from the Connecticut Hospital Occupancy Report published weekly by the CT DPH and extracted from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) facility-level data for hospital utilization aggregated on a weekly basis (Friday to Thursday).

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Editor’s Note: The state issues a COVID-19 metric report daily around 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, which includes current data up to the previous evening. In light of the serious rise in Coronavirus cases, we publish a new weekday update reporting confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Lyme and Old Lyme. The next CT DPH Daily Data Report for Connecticut will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, Feb. 18.