Monthly Archives: April 2021

April 20 COVID-19 Update: No Change in Cumulative Cases in Either Lyme (103), Old Lyme (329)

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LYME/OLD LYME — The Daily Data Report for Connecticut issued Tuesday, April 20, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT-DPH) for data as at 8:30 p.m. Monday, April 19, shows no change in the number of cumulative cases of COVID-19 in either Lyme or Old Lyme.

These Daily Reports are not issued by CT DPH on Saturday or Sundays and therefore Monday’s data includes new cases from both weekend days.

Old Lyme – No Change in Cumulative Cases

The 4/20 Daily Data Report for Connecticut for data as at 8:30 p.m. Monday, 4/19, shows that Old Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 321 confirmed COVID-19 cases and EIGHT probable cases, making a TOTAL of 329 cases.

This represents NO CHANGE in the cumulative number of confirmed or probable cases compared with those reported the previous day.

The total number of Old Lyme residents tested is 5,095, an increase of eight over Monday’s number of 5,087.

Lyme – No Change in Cumulative Cases

Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 95 confirmed cases and 8 probable cases, making a TOTAL of 103 cases.

This represents NO CHANGE in the cumulative number of confirmed or probable cases compared with those reported the previous day.

The total number of Lyme residents tested is 1,376, an increase of three over Monday’s number of 1,373.

Two-Week Case Rates

The report issued Tuesday, April 20, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) for the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks shows a  marginal improvement for the whole state.

The number of towns in the state in the Red (highest) Zone for two-week new case rates has fallen from 142 last week to 132 this week. Both Lyme and Old Lyme remain in the Zones in which they were last week.

Old Lyme is now one of the 15 towns in the Orange (second highest) Zone remaining in that Zone for the second week in a row.

Lyme is in the Gray Zone for two-week case rates, recording a fifth straight week in the lowest zone. Thirteen towns were in this zone last week and that number has risen to 21 this week. (Four zones are specified by the CT DPH — see details below.)

Overall, the number of towns in each zone is shown below with the previous week’s number in parentheses:

  • 21 (13) towns are now in the (lowest case rate) Gray Zone
  • 1 (4) are in the (lowest but one) Yellow Zone
  • 15 (10) are in the (second highest case rate) Orange Zone.

All the remaining 132 towns are in the Red Zone — last week’s number was 142.

Lyme joins 20 other towns in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone: Ashford, Bozrah, Bridgwater, Canaan, Chester, Colebrook, Cornwall,  Franklin, Goshen, Hampton, Hartland, Lisbon, Morris,  New Canaan, Norfolk, Scotland, Union, Voluntown, and Warren. Twenty-one towns in the Gray Zone reflects a significant and encouraging increase in the number of towns in that category over last week’s number of 13.

The Yellow (second lowest rate) Zone now has only one town, namely our neighbor, East Lyme.

Old Lyme joins 14 other towns in the Orange (second highest rate) Zone : Essex, Farmington, Hebron, Ledyard, Old Saybrook, Salem, Salisbury, Sharon, Simsbury, Stafford, Stonington, Waterford, Willington and Winchester.

  • 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 Yellow 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 five and nine 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.

This report is issued daily, but only updated weekly on Thursdays. The most recent report was updated Thursday, April 15; the next updated report will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, April 22.

More Detail on Two-Week Case Rates: Lyme Down, OL Constant

LLHD Director of Health Stephen Mansfield

On Thursday, April 15, Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) also issued their latest weekly 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 heartened to see a continued decrease in new cases throughout the District, with moderate decreases in the last two reporting periods. Our contact tracers continue to report clusters associated with daycares, schools, and workplaces, and transmissions linked to social gatherings and sporting events.

He stresses, however, “Although we are making great strides with our COVID vaccination program, it is still imperative that we remain diligent in our mitigation strategies.”

The latest two-week case rates announced Thursday, April 15, (from 3/28 to 4/10) have decreased in Lyme and held constant in Old Lyme.

The two-week case rates are as follows:

  • Old Lyme from 12.6 to 12.6
  • Lyme from 9.2 to 6.1

The same report shows that the case numbers in Week 1 and Week 2 respectively and recorded for the period 3/28 to 4/10  (compared with the previous two-week case rate for 3/14 to 3/27 shown in parentheses) are as follows:

  • Lyme had 1 (2) cases in Week 1 and 1 (1) in Week 2
  • Old Lyme had 5 (9) cases in Week 1 and 8 (4) in Week 2

This data was updated April 15, 2021. The next Ledge Light Weekly Data Report for its District will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, April 22.

Vaccination Rates

At the request of several readers, we have started a new section reflecting the status of community vaccination rates in Lyme and Old Lyme. The data is taken from the COVID-19 Vaccinations by Town report published by CT-DPH, which is published roughly weekly.

Lyme is ahead of Old Lyme in terms of the percentage of its total population that have received a first dose, with 75.09 percent vaccinated compared with 65.78 percent in Old Lyme.

The percentages for both towns for the age segments 65-74 and 75+ are very encouraging with Lyme now having 108.76 percent of seniors 75 and above having received their first dose and 97.61 percent of the same age segment having received it in Old Lyme.

The detailed data below is the most recent and was updated April 15.

Old Lyme
Total population:  7,306
Estimated population age 65-74:  1,067
Estimated population age 75 and above:  794

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Lyme
Total population:  2,316
Estimated population age 65-74:  372
Estimated population age 75 and above:  274

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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.

No fatalities have been reported in Lyme.

Connecticut Hospital Occupancy

At the request of several readers, we have added a new report 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).

The most recent report is dated Feb. 19 and covers the two-week period from 2/12 to 2/18. No subsequent updates have been issued.

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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 ongoing rise in Coronavirus cases, we publish a new weekday update reporting confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Lyme and Old Lyme. 

Tonight, Old Lyme-PGN Library Hosts ‘Nip the Knotweed’ with Suzanne Thompson; Free Virtual Webinar

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Japanese Knotweed

OLD LYME — Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 21, at  6:30 p.m., the Old Lyme-PGN Library presents a virtual webinar titled, Nip the Knotweed with Master Gardener, Suzanne Thompson of Old Lyme.

Join gardener/writer Suzanne Thompson in her Nip the Knotweed campaign – an organic method of starving back the encroaching plants and releasing and reintroducing desired native plants and ecosystems.
Taking on Japanese Knotweed this way can be therapeutic exercise and a good reason to get out into nature.
Learn some interesting history about how this and other invasive plants traveled here and why. Also hear some tips on how to combat them and help restore native ecosystems for the benefit of pollinators, wildlife and people.
Sign up for the Zoom link at http://oldlymelibrary.org.

Old Lyme CC Women’s Golf Assn Celebrates Opening Day, Welcomes New Members

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Celebrating OLCC WGA Opening Day are Katharine Connolly, Sharon Craig, Meaghan Cunningham, Paula Bingham, Susan Kayuem, Kathy Nadeau, Terry Parkinson, Carol Gadsden, Carol Gordon, Sally Crawford, Pam DeVivo, Helene Nichols, Patty LaVette, Tracy McKee, Hyla Cohen, Kate Bollo, Beebe Miller, Mardee Moore, Linda Tucker, Cathy Burnett, Martha Norcia, Ann Jose, Patti Swope, Charlene Amacher, Clinton Standart, Manon Zumbaum, Hollis Barry, Jodie Godbout, and Cynthia Dubey. (Photo submitted.)

OLD LYME — On Thursday, April 8, the Old Lyme Country Club Women’s Golf Association (WGA) enjoyed an opening day “Sweet & Greet” on the Clubhouse deck.  After enjoying sweets and coffee, catching up with old  friends and meeting new ones, co-chairs Hollis Barry and Jodie Godbout offered some welcoming remarks. 

The ladies then enjoyed a leisurely nine holes of golf followed by lunch. 

The Club was happy to welcome six new members to the WGA this year.

The Executive Board worked hard throughout the winter and spring to ensure that this will be a refreshing and exciting season of golf at the Old Lyme Country Club.

Old Lyme Church’s 2021 White Elephant Sale Cancelled, “the Prudent Thing to do” (R. Davis, WES Chair)

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Potential buyers at the White Elephant Sale will now have to wait until July 2022 for the bell to chime signaling the start of the sale.

OLD LYME — Last Friday, the ministers of the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme and the church’s White Elephant Sale (WES) Board made the final decision to cancel this year’s White Elephant Sale. Up until this point, planning was continuing in the hope that the 2021 sale was held.

An e-mail sent out yesterday by Bob Davis, who has chaired the sale for some 20 years, says “Regrettably … there were just too many variables since we start staffing in May and set up begins in mid June.”
He explains, “We looked at a myriad of issues including our ability to enforce the CT restrictions in place on large gatherings. [crowd size, masks, distancing ….] [and] the fact that the church was currently planning for only outdoor services through late Summer at least.
Davis also notes that, “The safety of our volunteers and shoppers in close quarters” was paramount and, “The possibility of folks coming down with Covid during intake or the sale” had to be considered.
He points out, “Given that most other major July events have been cancelled, it was the prudent thing to do.”
Striking a positive note, Davis says, “We are eagerly looking forward to next year’s sale when vaccinations should be widespread, heard immunity has taken hold and we will have learned to live with Covid.”
He concludes, “Mark your calendars for July 8-9, 2022 when we will [finally] have our 84th WES!”