Feb. 24 Daily COVID-19 Update: Dramatic Fall in Number of CT Towns in Case Rate Red Zone, But Lyme, Old Lyme Still Red; No New Cases in L/OL Keeping Cumulative Case Totals at 253, 1025 for Third Day

Posted on February 25, 2022 by Olwen Logan

This map, updated Feb.24, 2022 shows the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks. Both Lyme and Old Lyme remain in the Red (highest) Zone, in which 85 other towns (representing a total of 51.5% of the state) are now found. Only cases among persons living in community settings are included in this map; the map does not include cases among people who reside in nursing home, assisted living, or correctional facilities. Map: Ver 12.1.2020 Source: CT Department of Public Health Get the data Created with Datawrapper.

LYME-OLD LYME — The Daily Data Report issued Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022, around 4 p.m. by the Connecticut Department of Health(CT DPH) shows no new, confirmed COVID-19 cases in either Lyme or Old Lyme. This means the cumulative case total for Old Lyme holds at 1025 while the equivalent number in Lyme stays at 253.

Local Summary

On the positive side, this is the third day in succession when no new cases have been reported in Lyme or Old Lyme. Prior to Feb. 22, 2022 and according to our records, the previous time no new cases were reported in either town was Thursday, Dec. 12, 2021.

On the other side of the equation, however, when looking at the 10 member towns of the Ledge Light Health District (LLHD), Old Lyme has the highest Daily Case Rate at 33.2% with 34 cases reported in the past two weeks. Lyme, meanwhile, is in 7th place for Daily Case Rates at 18.5% with six cases reported in the past two weeks.

The next Daily Data Report will be issued by the state Friday, Feb. 25, around 4 p.m.

Statewide Situation

The state’s COVID-19 Daily Positivity Rate on Thursday, Feb. 24, increased marginally to 3.99% from 3.48% on Wednesday, Feb. 23.

The number of COVID-related hospitalizations fell by seven from 255 to 248.

Of those hospitalized, 127 (representing 51.2%) are not fully vaccinated.

The total number of COVID-related deaths in Connecticut increased 10,443.

Statewide Data

In encouraging news, the Feb. 24 COVID Case Rate map, printed above, the total number of towns in the Red (highest) Zone for case rates has fallen by 66 since last week to 87. Twelve towns in the state are now in the Gray (lowest) Zone, 11 in the Yellow (lowest but one), and 59 in the Orange (highest but one) Zone.

This number of 87 is equivalent to 51.5% of towns in the state, which remain in the Red Zone.

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

Old Lyme is in the Red (highest) Zone for the 14th consecutive week: prior to this, the last time Old Lyme was in the Red Zone was Sept. 30, 2021. Of the 10 towns in the LLHD, Old Lyme has the highest Daily Case Rate at 33.2% with 34 cases reported in the past two weeks.

Lyme is in the Red Zone for the 12th week in succession. Of the 10 towns in the LLHD, Lyme has the 7th highest Daily Case Rate at 18.5% with six cases reported in the past two weeks.

The CT DPH will issue an updated map of the zones Thursday, March 3 — the map is updated weekly on Thursdays.

The color-coded zones are:

Red: Indicates case rates over the last two weeks of greater than 15 per 100,000 population
Orange: Indicates case rates between 10 to 14 cases per 100,000 population
Yellow: Indicates case rates between 5 and 9 per 100,000 population
Gray: Indicates case rates lower than five per 100,000 population

Extracts from the Feb. 24, 2022 CT DPH report

As of Feb. 23, 2022: (the number in parentheses is from Feb. 16, 2022)

Number of cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated persons in Connecticut: 170,997 (167,783)
Number of fully vaccinated persons in Connecticut: 2,655,982 (2,640,845)
Percent of fully vaccinated persons, who have contracted COVID-19: 6.44% (6.35%)

For the week beginning Feb. 13, 2022: (the number in parentheses is from Feb. 06, 2022)

Risk of unvaccinated persons testing positive for COVID-19 as compared to fully vaccinated persons: 2.9 x greater (3.1 x greater)
Risk of unvaccinated persons dying from COVID-19 as compared to fully vaccinated persons: 8.4 x greater (18.1% x greater)

Increase in Cases in Lyme & Old Lyme Since August 2021

The cumulative total of confirmed cases for Old Lyme has now increased by 582 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 653 new cases there since that date. Meanwhile, Lyme’s cumulative total on Aug. 26 was 114 indicating 139 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 the past two weeks, Lyme has had 6 new cases while Old Lyme has reported 34 — the previous week’s numbers were 18 and 53.

In an email sent Friday, Feb. 25, regarding the latest COVID-19 data, Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) Director of Health Stephen Mansfield states, “Although the number of new cases and hospitalizations continues to decrease, we are still experiencing high average daily case rates, and a continued focus on preventing transmission is important.”

He continues, “Based on the current level of community transmission, both the Connecticut Department of Public Health and the CDC continue to recommend that everyone wear a mask indoors, regardless of vaccination status.”

Finally, he states, “LLHD continues to focus our vaccination efforts on homebound populations and providing initial vaccinations and boosters to individuals who were vaccinated previously. 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, March 3, 2022.

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

Four COVID-related fatalities have now 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 and fourth fatalities, which were reported respectively in 2021 and on Feb. 4, 2022, have not been made available.

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.

This week is Winter Break for LOL Schools and so no further case reporting will be announced until Monday, Feb. 28.

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 lists below: LOLHS: Lyme-Old Lyme High School, LOLMS: Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School, CS: MC: Mile Creek School, and Center School Pre-Kindergarten

Friday, Feb. 18
Total: LOLMS: 1, MC: 1

Thursday, Feb. 17
Total: 1, MC: 1

Wednesday, Feb. 16
Total: 6, LOLMS: 3

Monday, Feb. 14
Total: 6, LOLMS: 2, MC: 3, Lyme: 1

Sunday, Feb. 13
Total: 3, LOLMS: 2, MC: 1

Friday, Feb. 11
Total: 2, LOLHS: 1, CS: 1

Thursday, Feb. 10
Total: 2, Lyme: 1, CS: 1

Wednesday, Feb. 9
Total: 2, LOLHS: 1, MC: 1

Tuesday, Feb. 8
Total: 0

Monday, Feb. 7
Total: 3, Lyme: 1, MC: 1, CS: 1

Sunday, Feb. 6
Total: 2, LOLMS: 1, MC: 1

Friday, Feb. 4
Total: 5, LOLHS: 2, LOLMS: 1, MC: 2

Thursday, Feb. 3
Total: 1, Lyme: 1

Wednesday, Feb. 2
Total: 3, MC: 3

Tuesday, Feb. 1
Total: 1, MC: 1

JANUARY 2022
Monday, 1/31: Total: 2, LOLMS: 1, Lyme: 1
Sunday, 1/30: Total: 1, Lyme: 1
Friday, 1/28: Total: 3, LOLHS: 1, LOLMS: 1, MC: 1
Thursday, 1/27: Total: 3, LOLHS: 1, Lyme: 2
Wednesday, 1/26: Total: 3, LOLHS: 1, MC: 2
Tuesday, 1/25: Total: 4, LOLMS: 2, MC: 2
Monday, 1/24:Total: 9, LOLHS: 2, LOLMS: 1, Lyme: 1, MC: 4, CS: 1
Sunday, 1/23:Total: 3, LOLMS: 1, Lyme: 2
Friday, 1/21:Total: 8, LOLHS: 4, LOLMS: 2, MC: 2
Thursday, 1/20: Total: 5, LOLMS: 1, MC: 1, Lyme: 3
Wednesday, 1/19: Total: 7, LOLHS: 2, LOLMS: 4, CS: 1
Tuesday, 1/18: Total: 7, LOLHS: 3, LOLMS: 2, MC: 2
Monday, 1/17: Total: 6, Lyme: 4, MC: 2
Friday, 1/14: Total: 3, MC: 2, LOLHS: 1
Wednesday, 1/12: Total: 3, MC: 2, LOLMS: 1
Monday, 1/10: Total: 3, CS: 1, Lyme: 2
Sunday, 1/9: Total: 2, MC: 1, Lyme: 1
Friday, 1/7: Total: 1, MC: 1:
Thursday, 1/6: Total: 7, LOLHS: 5, Lyme: 1, CS: 1
Wednesday, 1/5: Total: 14, LOLHS: 6, MC: 1, Lyme: 3, CS: 4
Tuesday, 1/4: Total: 5, LOLHS: 4, CS: 1

Death Announced of Andy Baxter of Lyme; Longtime Lyme Land Trust Supporter, ‘a Man for All Seasons with a Heart as Big as the Outdoors’

Posted on February 25, 2022 by Admin

The late Andy Baxter of Lyme. Photo by Anne Baxter.

LYME — It is with great sadness that we have been informed of the death of Andy Baxter of Lyme. He was a member of the board of the Lyme Land Trust for 13 years, serving as both its treasurer and later, vice-president. He was also involved in and supported numerous other charitable causes.

The Lyme Land Trust has shared the following tribute to Mr. Baxter with us:

We regret to inform you that Andy Baxter passed away on February 21, 2022 after battling a long illness. He was a member of our Board for 13 years beginning in 2005 and served as our Treasurer and later Vice President. He could always be counted on to have his own original and valuable points of view. But whatever the decision, Andy was the consummate team player. Andy had a strong belief in the cause of land conservation and in the mission of the Land Trust.

He always supported the Trust very generously and recently gave us a major gift that goes a long way to ensure that the stewardship barn and offices we are planning, will be built in Hadlyme. Whatever the endeavor, Andy was always all in. Supporting many charitable causes with his time and his resources, he truly was a Man for All Seasons with a heart as big as the outdoors. He is going to leave a huge hole in the lives of so many of us whom he has touched.

Lyme-Old Lyme HS Students Win Major Awards at 2022 CT Scholastic Art Contest

Posted on February 24, 2022 by Admin

This work by Lyme-Old Lyme High School Senior Elle Myers titled, ‘Coming to the surface,’ was awarded a Gold Key in Painting at the CT Scholastic Awards.

OLD LYME — Six students from the Lyme-Old Lyme High School (LOLHS) Art Department were recognized at this year’s prestigious Connecticut Scholastic Art Awards. The contest celebrates the work of talented young artists in the state in grades 7 through 12.

Student artwork is juried by professional artists and university art faculty and selected on merit for inclusion in a statewide art exhibition held at the Hartford Art School. Beyond the honor of being chosen for this highly selective exhibition, students are eligible for Gold or Silver Keys and Honorable Mention awards in each of 17 media categories.

Lyme-Old Lyme High School Senior Elle Myers received a Gold Key in Painting, as well as Silver Keys in both Painting and Drawing.

‘Timothy Posing’ by LOLHS Senior Elle Myers received a Silver Key in Drawing at the CT Scholastic Art Awards.

Lyme-Old Lyme High School Senior Olivia Schaedler was awarded a Gold Key in Photography for her work titled, ‘Cables,’ pictured below.

The winners of Gold Keys will subsequently have their artwork submitted digitally to the National Scholastic Art Awards where they will be juried against Gold Key winners from all 50 states.

Senior Samantha Geshel received two Honorable Mentions in Painting, and Senior Shawn Grenier was given an Honorable Mention in Digital Art.

Junior Lea Wilson was awarded a Silver Key in Comic Art for the work titled, ‘Bread Duck,’ pictured above, and Sydney Goulding received an Honorable Mention in Ceramics and Glass.

The Connecticut Regional Scholastic Art Awards Program is sponsored by the Connecticut Art Education Association and the University of Hartford, Hartford Art School.

A virtual Awards Celebration was held Feb. 12.

A la Carte: This Five-Way Chili is All The Way From Cincinnati!

Posted on February 24, 2022 by Lee White

Lee White

I get excited when I see old recipes in my computer and haven’t made in decades.

Friends asked if I could make dessert for 12. I wanted it to be yummy and attractive and decided on a flan, or custard. I’d made it often as a dish but not in years. When you take it out of the oven and turn it onto a slightly oval plate, the caramel waves over and stays that way for hours.

I had all the ingredients but didn’t read the instructions carefully, so there were problems.

I came close to over-toasting the coconut, although I caught it in time and tossed it onto a cool granite counter so it continued to the right golden color.

Then I cooked the cup of sugar into a skillet. Then I sat down to read.

Uh-oh, it burned.

Used another skillet and another cup of sugar. I paid attention and it worked.

As I turned the caramel into the cake pan, I realized I’d misread the recipe: it needed 1 ½ cups of sugar and I should have used an 8-inch pan, not the 9-inch. The recipe worked, but I had not remembered my maxim: like a carpenter reads twice and cuts once, I had not read twice and cooked once. (With elbow grease, I saved the first skillet!)

This weekend I wanted something easier, something that require little precision.

I made a big pot of marinara with sweet and hot sausage. Then I made Cincinnati 5-Way Chili. I love this dish and a note by Kathy Gunst on Facebook reminded me that I have it in my own computer files. Recipes like this one gives me absolution: if you don’t have all the spices and don’t want to add spaghetti and prefer to deep-six the beans, it’s still delicious!

Cincinnati 5-Way Chili
Adapted from USA Cookbook by Sheila Lukins (Workman, New York, 1997)

Photo by American Heritage Chocolate on Unsplash.

Yield: serves 6

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds ground beef (or 1 pound ground beef and 1 pound ground lamb)
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
¼ teaspoon each of ground cinnamon, ground allspice, coriander and ground cardamom
1 28-ounce can plum or crushed tomatoes (Muir Glen if you have it)
2 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound spaghetti or linguine
2 cans (15 ½ ounces each) dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained, for garnish
4 to 6 scallions (3 inches green left one), thinly sliced on the diagonal, for garnish
½ (one-half) pound grated Monterey Jack cheese, for garnish

Place oil and onions in a heavy pot over low heat, and cook, stirring, until wilted, 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Crumble in the beef (or beef and lamb, if you are using) and raise the heat to medium. Brown well, stirring often to break up the clumps, 10 minutes. Remove any excess fat from the pot.

Add cocoa and all the spices to the meat and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and their juice, tomato paste, vinegar and honey. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the flavors are well blended, 20 to 30 minutes.

Adjust the seasoning, then season generously with salt and pepper, to taste. (You can now turn off the heat and cover the chili until ready to serve, up to 3 or 4 hours. If not ready to use until tomorrow, refrigerate. Bring to a simmer before serving.)

Shortly before serving, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti or linguine until just tender, about 10 minutes. Heat the beans in a covered saucepan over low heat.

Drain pasta thoroughly. Divide the pasta among six shallow pasta bowls. Top with the chili, then the kidney beans, scallions and grated cheese.

Serve immediately.

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 at leeawhite@aol.com.

Feb. 23 COVID Update: No New Cases in Lyme, Old Lyme for Second Day in Row; Cumulative Case Totals Hold Respectively at 253, 1025

Posted on February 23, 2022 by Olwen Logan

Photo by CDC on Unsplash.

LYME-OLD LYME — The Daily Data Report issued Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022, around 4 p.m. by the Connecticut Department of Health(CT DPH) shows no new, confirmed COVID-19 cases in either Lyme or Old Lyme. This means the cumulative case total for Old Lyme holds at 1025 while the equivalent number in Lyme stays at 253.

This is the second day in succession when no new cases have been reported in Lyme or Old Lyme. Prior to that and according to our records, the previous time no new cases were reported in either town was Thursday, Dec. 12, 2021.

The next Daily Data Report will be issued by the state Thursday, Feb. 24, around 4 p.m.