Monthly Archives: January 2022

Ledge Light Health District Offers Free COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic in New London, Tomorrow

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Photo by CDC on Unsplash.

GROTON/LYME/OLD LYME — Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) will host a COVID-19 vaccine clinic tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 29, from 12 to 4 p.m. at McDonald’s, 406 Colman Street, New London.

The Moderna vaccine and a limited supply of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine will be available for anyone who is 18 years or older and needs a first or second dose or is eligible for a booster dose. The Pfizer vaccine will be available to anyone who is 5 years or older.

No appointment, insurance, or ID is needed.

The current booster recommendations are:

For individuals who received the Moderna vaccine, the following groups are eligible for a booster shot:

  • Severely immunocompromised at 1 month or more after their initial series.
  • Everyone 18+ at 5 months or more after their initial series.

For individuals who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the following groups are eligible for a booster shot:

  • Severely immunocompromised at 1 month or more after their initial series.
  • Everyone 12+ at 5 months or more after their initial series.

For individuals who received the J&J vaccine, booster shots are recommended for those who are 18 and older and who were vaccinated two or more months ago.

Mixing & Matching (heterologous series): Both the FDA and CDC support individuals to receive a booster dose that is a different vaccine type than they originally received for their primary series if they choose. CDC’s recommendations now allow for this type of mix and match dosing for booster shots.

Visit www.LLHD.org or follow LLHD on social media for additional clinic announcements!

Ledge Light Health District serves as the local health department for East Lyme, Groton, Ledyard, Lyme, New London, North Stonington, Old Lyme, Stonington and Waterford, Connecticut. As a health district, formed under Connecticut General Statutes Section 19a-241, LLHD is a special unit of government, allowing member municipalities to provide comprehensive public health services to residents in a more efficient manner by consolidating the services within one organization.

LLHD’s mission statement – to prevent disease, illness and injury; to protect and nurture our environment; and to promote improved health and prosperity for all residents – describes in more detail their slogan of “promoting healthy communities.”

Old Lyme Basketball: Girls Soundly Defeat Saybrook; Girls, Boys Both Fall to Cromwell

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Old Lyme freshman Kate Walsh, who was the top scorer for the Wildcats, dribbles the ball away from an opponent during the Cromwell game. All photos by Andrea Fenton.

OLD SAYBROOK: Last Saturday, Jan. 22, the Old Lyme girls, playing away, soundly defeated Old Saybrook in a solid 36-18 victory.

Freshman Kate Walsh led the Wildcat scoring with 13 points and two steals, while senior Ali Kyle added eight points with  seven steals. Senior Melanie Warren contributed seven points and fellow senior Megan Loflin notched three points, 16 rebounds and four blocks.

A delighted coach Don Bugbee commented after the game, “The girls played really hard throughout the game, especially on the defensive end of the court, and came away with a nice team effort and win.”

Kanon Oharu shoots for Old Lyme.

On Tuesday, Jan.25,  both the girls and boys’ teams were defeated by their respective Cromwell opponents. The boys, playing at home, lost 48-62 and the girls, playing away, fell by 35 points to 58.
Top scorers for the Old Lyme boys were Jacob Ritchie with 11 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals while Caden Monte added 10 points, three rebounds and one block.
Cromwell’s Jake Salafia not only scored 17 points but also made five three-pointers.

Old Lyme senior Megan Loflin and junior Alexis Fenton successfully block a shot in the Cromwell game.

Top scorer for the girls was freshman Kate Walsh with nine points.
The girls’ record is now 5-5 for the season and 3-5 in the Shoreline Conference.

A la Carte: Winter Vegetable Soup for a Wintry Day

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Lee White

Over the years, I learned a lot about buying cookbooks. Never mind the first one I ever had: it was a cookbook that was part of the first (and only) encyclopedia we order for our daughter. I bet no one under fifty years old has ever bought one.

My second was Craig Claiborne’s New York Times Cookbook. It was one hell of a cookbook and still is. I learned to cook from that one. I began to buy chefs’ cookbooks. Like a kid, I loved the pictures. One, the French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller, was gorgeous, but I never cooked a single recipe from it.  The recipes looked easy, just eight or seven ingredients, but embedded were words like “see page this or see page that.” To finish the entrée or dessert I would have had to make two or three different recipes first.

Today I buy cookbooks written by the brilliant Jacques Pepin and television star Ina Garten; I own books from the Moosewood Collective along with Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso. These people are cooks, teachers and recipe writers, rarely restaurant chefs.

Jacques buys most of his ingredients from farmers’ markets or Stop and Shop. Ina Garten shops in the Hamptons. They both have their own gardens. Sheila Lukins cooked for her own little shop called The Silver Palate. New Haven’s own Claire Criscuolo’s Claire’s Corner Copia books are treasures.

So here’s the deal: in the recipe below, there are 18 ingredients, but nine are veggies, a bunch, literally, are herbs and there is some liquid. Most of them are probably in your own kitchen. The soup will feed eight to 10 people and cost you maybe $15. And I found that recipe  from Yankee magazine, which couldn’t be more New England-ish.

This soup is delicious.

Roasted Winter Vegetable and White Bean Chowder
From In the Thick of It by Nadine Nelson (Yankee, January-February, 2022)

2 ½ cups diced butternut squash
2 ½ cups sliced carrots
2 cups diced russet potatoes
1 cup diced parsnips
1 fennel bulb, diced
2 tablespoons plus 3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
3 cups diced onion
1 cup diced celery
5 fresh thyme sprigs
1 fresh rosemary sprig
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons flour (all-purpose or gluten-free)
8 cups vegetable stock (chicken stock if you are not a vegetarian)
2 14-ounce cans cooked white beans, drained
2 cups sliced mushrooms, any kind
2 cups milk of your choice (2 percent is fine)
Fresh thyme sprigs and ground paprika or smoked for garnish

Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss five veggies in 2 tablespoons olive and and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Divide vegetables between two large rimmed baking sheets and roast until tender and browned, about 40 minutes, turning them a few times while roasting.

While vegetables are roasting, prepare the soup base: heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, then add onions, celery, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, black remaining and 1 teaspoon salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 6 minutes.

Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add stock and beans.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and milk, bring to a simmer, and stir in roasted vegetables.

Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if desired.

Serve hot, garnished with fresh thyme and a sprinkle or paprika. 

About the author: Lee White has been writing about restaurants and cooking since 1976 and has been extensively published in the Worcester (Mass.) Magazine, The Day, Norwich Bulletin, and Hartford Courant. She currently writes Nibbles and a cooking column called A La Carte for LymeLine.com and the Shore Publishing and the Times newspapers, both of which are owned by The Day. She was a resident of Old Lyme for many years but now lives in Groton, Conn. Contact Lee

Jan. 26 Daily COVID-19 Update: State Positivity Rate Falls to New Low for Year; 13 New Cases in Old Lyme Take Cumulative Total to 943, Lyme’s Total Rises to 234 with Four New Cases

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Photo by CDC on Unsplash.

LYME-OLD LYME — The Daily Data Report issued Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022, around 4 p.m. by the Connecticut Department of Health(CT DPH) shows 13 new, confirmed COVID-19 cases in Old Lyme taking the town’s total of cumulative cases from 930 to 943.

Four new cases were reported in Lyme, taking that town’s cumulative total from 230 to 234. 

The next Daily Data Report will be issued by the state Thursday, Jan. 27, around 4 p.m. This report will include weekly updates on the COVID Case Zone maps.

Statewide Data

On Jan. 24, in an article published in the Hartford Courant, Alex Putterman stated, “Connecticut continues to see significant improvement in its COVID-19 metrics, state numbers show, signaling an approaching end to its latest coronavirus surge. The state on Monday [Jan. 4] reported an 11.4% test positivity rate, lowest since late December, and a decrease of more than 200 COVID-19 hospitalizations.”

The state’s COVID-19 positivity rate on Wednesday, Jan. 26, was down to 10.93% from 13.74% on Jan. 25, and COVID-related hospitalizations also decreased again by 100 to 1,346. The positivity rate represents a new low for this month.

Of those hospitalized, 723 (representing 53.7%) are not fully vaccinated.

The total number of COVID-related deaths in Connecticut rose to 9,901. (Source: NYTimes.com)

As we reported in our Thursday, Jan. 20 Daily COVID-19 Update, the COVID-19 Average Daily Case Rate Report issued by the state on that day showed that the total number of towns in the Red (highest) Zone for COVID-19 Case Rates remained constant at 168, leaving only one town in the state — Canaan — not in the Red Zone. This number of 168 is equivalent to 99.4 percent of towns in the state.

The CT DPH will issue an updated map of the zones Thursday, Jan. 27 — the map is updated weekly on Thursdays.

Extracts from the Jan. 13, 2022 CT DPH report

As of Jan. 19, 2022: (the number in parentheses is from Jan. 12, 2022)

  • Number of cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated persons in Connecticut: 115,021 (83,147)
  • Number of fully vaccinated persons in Connecticut: 2,540,829 (2,526,891)
  • Percent of fully vaccinated persons, who have contracted COVID-19: 4.53% (3.29%)

For the week beginning Jan. 09, 2022: (the number in parentheses is from Dec. 26, 2021)

  • Risk of unvaccinated persons testing positive for COVID-19 as compared to fully vaccinated persons: 3.4x greater (3.3x greater)
  • Risk of unvaccinated persons dying from COVID-19 as compared to fully vaccinated persons: 18.6x greater (17.2x greater)

Increase in Cases in Lyme & Old Lyme Since August 2021

The cumulative total of confirmed cases for Old Lyme has now increased by 500 since Wednesday, Nov. 10, when the total stood at 443 — that number had stood unchanged for a week since the previous Thursday, Nov. 4.

On Aug. 26 — which was the day Lyme-Old Lyme Schools started the new academic year — Old Lyme’s cumulative case total stood at 372, meaning there have now been 571 new cases there since that date. Meanwhile, Lyme’s cumulative total on Aug. 26 was 114 indicating 120 new cases have also been confirmed there during the same period.

Ledge Light Health District Update

All the towns in the Ledge Light Health District (LLHD), of which both Lyme and Old Lyme are members, are in the Red Zone.

In an email sent Friday, Jan. 21, regarding the latest COVID-19 data, Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) Deputy Director of Health Jennifer Muggeo states, “Although there is a decrease in the number of new cases reflected in this report, we are still experiencing high average daily case rates and a continued focus on preventing transmission is important.”

She continues, “Ledge Light Health District advises all businesses and community members take direct steps to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in your business, home, and place of work. We encourage all businesses within our communities to adopt masking policies for employees and customers, regardless of vaccination status.”

Finally, she states, “LLHD continues to focus our vaccination efforts on homebound populations and providing initial vaccinations and boosters to individuals who were vaccinated previously. There are a number of community-based vaccination clinics scheduled for next week (beginning tomorrow); information about vaccination opportunities can be found at https://llhd.org/coronavirus-covid-19-situation/covid-19-vaccine/.”

COVID testing opportunities can be found at COVID-19 Testing | Ledge Light Health District (llhd.org)

The following link provides centralized access to Connecticut COVID data: https://data.ct.gov/stories/s/COVID-19-data/wa3g-tfvc/

The next Ledge Light update is due Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022.

Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Update

Under new state protocols for schools, Lyme-Old Lyme (LOL) Schools are no longer required to carry out contact tracing , but LOL Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser said in a Jan. 4 email to the school community that he, “… will continue to notify the school community of any positive cases of COVID-19 that impact the schools.”

A full listing of all LOL Schools-related cases during 2022 is given below. On Wednesday, Jan. 26, three new cases were reported in LOL Schools.

Lyme-Old Lyme Schools closed Dec. 23, 2021 and reopened Monday, Jan. 3, 2022 after the winter break meaning no new cases were reported by the schools during that period. We are no longer including positive cases impacting LOL schools between Aug 26, 2021 (the first day of the 2021-22 academic school year) and Dec. 23, 2021 (the last day of school before winter break began), in this report. During that period contact tracing was still required.

View the full listing of cases during that period (8/26/21 – 12/23/21) at this link.

The listing below is the latest information that we have with the most recent cases first — there may have been further updates, however, which we have not yet received.

The following abbreviations are used in the list below: LOLHS: Lyme-Old Lyme High School, LOLMS: Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School, CS: MC: Mile Creek School, and Center School Pre-Kindergarten.

Wednesday, Jan. 26
Total: 3
LOLHS: 1, MC: 2

Tuesday, Jan. 25
Total: 4
LOLMS: 2, MC: 2

Monday, Jan. 24
Total: 9
LOLHS: 2, LOLMS: 1, Lyme: 1, MC: 4, CS: 1

Sunday, Jan. 23
Total: 3:
LOLMS: 1, Lyme: 2

Friday, Jan. 21
Total: 8
LOLHS: 4, LOLMS: 2, MC: 2

Thursday, Jan. 20
Total: 5
LOLMS: 1, MC: 1, Lyme: 3

Wednesday, Jan.19
Total: 7
LOLHS: 2, LOLMS: 4, CS: 1

Tuesday, Jan. 18
Total: 7
LOLHS: 3, LOLMS: 2, MC: 2

Monday, Jan. 17
Total: 6
Lyme: 4, MC: 2

Friday, Jan. 14
Total: 3
MC: 2, LOLHS: 1

Wednesday, Jan. 12
Total: 3
MC: 2, LOLMS: 1

Monday, Jan. 10
Total: 3
CS: 1, Lyme: 2

Sunday, Jan. 9
Total: 2
MC: 1, Lyme: 1

Friday, Jan. 7
Total: 1
MC: 1

Thursday, Jan. 6
Total: 7
LOLHS: 5, Lyme: 1, CS: 1

Wednesday, Jan. 5
Total: 14
LOLHS: 6, MC: 1, Lyme: 3, CS: 4

Tuesday, Jan. 4
Total: 5
LOLHS: 4, CS: 1

Fatalities Due to COVID-19 in Lyme, Old Lyme

There has been one COVID-related fatality of a Lyme resident: a 57-year-old male passed away Nov. 16, 2021. On Nov. 30, the state finally included this fatality in its data

Three COVID-related fatalities have been reported in Old Lyme. The first two fatalities from Old Lyme, which were reported in 2020, were a 61-year-old female and an 82-year-old male.

Details of the third, which was reported in 2021, have not been made available.

State Rep. Devin Carney to Host Virtual Pre-Session Legislative Update, Tonight

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HARTFORD/LYME/OLD LYME – State Representative Devin Carney (R-23rd) will be holding a Virtual Pre-Session Legislative Update on Thursday, Jan. 27, to hear from residents prior to the 2022 legislative session, which begins Wednesday, Feb. 9.

The virtual session will be held via Zoom from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The link for the meeting is: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89798345387

Rep. Carney would like to encourage residents who wish to share their thoughts or concerns before the 2022 session to attend the meeting. All are welcome — no meeting ID is required.

If you would like to submit questions prior to the event, email Rep. Carney at Devin.Carney@housegop.ct.gov.