Monthly Archives: March 2022

March 15 COVID-19 Update: No New Cases in Old Lyme Keep Cumulative Case Total at 1045, Lyme Shows Reduction to 255

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LYME-OLD LYME —The Daily Data Report issued Tuesday, March 15, 2022, around 4 p.m. by the Connecticut Department of Health (CT DPH) shows no new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Old Lyme keeping the town’s cumulative case total at 1045.

The cumulative case total in Lyme has been reduced to 255. Our experience is that a reduction in the total is generally an error, which will be corrected in a day or two. For our reporting purposes, we are going to say that this is the 11th consecutive day on which no new cases have been reported. We will not adjust our numbers to reflect the reduction yet on the assumption it will be corrected.

The most recent days that no new cases were reported in either Lyme or Old Lyme were March 9, March 4, and Feb. 24. The previous time prior to Feb. 24 when no new cases were reported in either town was Dec. 12, 2021.

The next Daily Data Report will be issued by CT DPH Wednesday, March 16, around 4 p.m.

Statewide Situation – Daily Update

The state’s COVID-19 Daily Positivity Rate on Tuesday, March 15, increased marginally from 2.57% on March 15 to 2.88%. The March 10 rate of 1.79% was the first time the positivity rate had fallen below 2.0 since Oct. 7, 2021 according to our records, when it was 1.70%.

On March 15, the number of COVID-related hospitalizations decreased by 8 from 121 to 113.

Of those hospitalized that day, 42 (representing 37.2%) are not fully vaccinated.

The total number of COVID-related deaths in Connecticut rose to 10,675, according to the New York Times.

Statewide Situation – Weekly Update

In extremely encouraging news, the March 10 COVID Case Rate map shows that the total number of towns in the Red (highest) Zone for case rates has fallen by 11 since last week to 12. This reflects a dramatic fall in the number of towns in the Red Zone since late January. On Jan. 27, the total was 168 out of 169 towns and by Feb. 17, the total was 153. By Feb. 24, it had fallen to 87, and last week on March 3, the total was 23.

The March 10 total of 12 is equivalent to 7.1% of towns in the state, which remain in the Red Zone.

As of March 10, only two towns in the Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) remain in the Red Zone: East Lyme and New London. Four are in the Orange (second highest) Zone: Old Lyme,  Ledyard, Stonington and Waterford. Two are in the Yellow (second lowest), and Lyme remains in the Gray (lowest) Zone.

This is the first time Old Lyme has fallen out of the Red (highest) Zone for 15 consecutive weeks.

When looking at the weekly report dated March 10 for the nine member towns of the Ledge Light Health District (LLHD), Old Lyme has the third equal highest Daily Case Rate at 12.7% behind East Lyme at 19.3% and New London at 31.4%.

In contrast, however, Lyme, is in 9th and lowest place for Daily Case Rates at 0% with less than five cases reported in the past two weeks.

The next weekly LLHD report will be issued Thursday, March 17.

The CT DPH will issue an updated map of the zones Thursday, March 17 — 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 March 9, 2022: (the number in parentheses is from March 2, 2022)

Number of cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated persons in Connecticut: 174,207 (172,677)
Number of fully vaccinated persons in Connecticut:  2,679,485 (2,668,072)
Percent of fully vaccinated persons, who have contracted COVID-19: 6.5% (6.47%)

For the week beginning Feb. 27, 2022: (the number in parentheses is from Feb. 20, 2022)

Risk of unvaccinated persons testing positive for COVID-19 as compared to fully vaccinated persons: 2.4 x greater (3.1 x greater)
Risk of unvaccinated persons dying from COVID-19 as compared to fully vaccinated persons: 15.9 x greater (17.5 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 602 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 673 new cases there since that date. Meanwhile, Lyme’s cumulative total on Aug. 26 was 114 indicating 142 new cases have also been confirmed there during the same period.

Ledge Light Health District Update

Two towns (East Lyme and New London) 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 less than 5 new cases while Old Lyme has reported 13 — the previous week’s numbers were respectively less than 5 and 30.

In an email sent Thursday, March 10, regarding the latest COVID-19 data, Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) Director of Health Stephen Mansfield states, “Based on surveillance data available in a new tool created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) called COVID-19 Community Levels, the municipalities within Ledge Light Health District (and all of New London County) are currently classified as low, the “best” classification available based on these new metrics.”

He continues, “Community Levels can be low, medium, or high and are determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID cases in a specific geographical area. CDC recommends taking precautions to protect yourself and others from COVID based on Community Levels in your area.”

He adds, “In New London County, residents are advised to:

  • Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
  • Get tested if you have symptoms

View the new tool by following this link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/covid-by-county.html.

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/.”

An explanation of the new tool by Thomas Gotowka can be found at this link.

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 17, 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 Feb. 17 email to the school community that, “Through the end of March we will continue to send daily COVID-19 case numbers for those who are interested in tracking this information.”

He added, “Beginning in April, we will report these numbers on a weekly basis.”

A full listing of all LOL Schools-related cases during 2022 is given below.

During Winter Break for LOL Schools, no case reporting was announced until Monday, Feb. 28. Schools are now back in session. One new case was reported on March 2 and another on March 3. In further good news, no new cases were reported on March 4, or March 7-12. One new case was reported on each day of March 13 and 14.

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

Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School, CS: MC: Mile Creek School, and Center School Pre-Kindergarten

Monday, March 14
Total: CS: 1

Sunday, March 13
Total: LOLHS: 1

Thursday, March 3
Total: LOLHS: 1

Wednesday, March 2
Total: LOLHS: 1

FEBRUARY 2022
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:

Shriver of Old Lyme Presents ‘History of the CT River,’ Tonight; All Welcome to This Free, Virtual Event

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The Connecticut River Museum hosts Dick Shriver on March 15 when he will present a history of the Connecticut River via Zoom. All are welcome to this free presentation.

ESSEX/LYME/OLD LYME — On Tuesday, March 15, the Connecticut River Museum will host a presentation via Zoom by Dick Shriver of Old Lyme titled, The Connecticut River … Past, Present, and Future. The event is free and starts at 6 p.m. All are welcome.

The Connecticut River experienced a long and peaceful past until the industrial revolution. This was followed by years of abuse, then partial recovery, and finally the river has a bright outlook today.

Shriver illustrates the 12,000 year history of the Connecticut River to the present, paying special attention to the abuse of the river during and following the Industrial Revolution.

He then acknowledges those in government, who established the present-day regulatory apparatus, that has helped clean up the river’s water.

Finally, he highlights the good works currently underway for the long-term benefit of the environmental and ecological health of the river.

Dick Shriver

Shriver has a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering.

He has held executive positions in government and industry having been assistant secretary of the US Treasury Department and Senior Vice President of Chase Manhattan Bank.

He was professor of Business Finance and Marketing at the International Management Institute in Kiev, Ukraine.

He is Provost Emeritus of the European College of Liberal Arts (now Bard College, Berlin), and also currently serves as head coach of girls’ varsity lacrosse at Old Saybrook High School.

Entry Now Open to Diana Atwood Johnson Photo Contest Hosted by CT Open Space

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A Great Egret photographed by Diana Atwood Johnson in Orlando, Fla. The DAJ OSWA Photo Contest, which is now open for entries, is named after Atwood Johnson, who was an Old Lyme resident for many years prior to her passing in 2018.

OLD LYME —Launched in 2016, the Open Space & Watershed Land Acquisition (OSWA) annual photo contest was re-named in 2017 in honor of the late Diana Atwood Johnson, who stepped down as the Chair of Connecticut’s State Natural Heritage, Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Review Board, after having served in that position for 19 years.

The contest is intended to provide a venue for amateur photographers to celebrate Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP)’s Open Space & Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program (OSWA) and the Urban Green and Community Gardens Grant Program (UGCG), display their work, and provide the Connecticut Land Conservation Council (CLCC) and DEEP with new materials for their publications and communications.

The renamed 2022 DAJ OSWA Photo Contest is now open for entries.  

Photographs taken on properties purchased using OSWA grant funds are eligible. The Old Lyme Land Trust(OLLT) holds three properties thanks to this program. They are listed below and the name in parentheses is how the property is referenced in the OSWA database.

The properties are:

  • Lay Preserve (“Lay Property”)
  • Hatchett’s Hill Preserve (“Eylandco Inc. Property”)
  • A portion of the Upper Three Mile River Preserve (“106 Four Mile River Road”)

The deadline for submissions is May 3, 2022.

For more information and details of how to submit entries, visit the CLCC Announcement of DAJ OSWA Photo Contest .

The OLLT also welcomes receiving photographs taken on any of the Trust’s preserves, some of which will be selected to be featured on the OLLT website’s photo gallery. Send photos to OLLandTrust@gmail.com. This is an open invitation and there is no deadline.

Death Announced of Thomas Roby, he ‘Absolutely Loved Spending Days at Point of Woods Beach … in Old Lyme’

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BRANFORD — Thomas Roby of Branford died peacefully on Saturday, March 12, 2022 at CT Hospice in Branford after a brief illness.

He was the beloved husband of 43 years to Geraldine Moccia Roby of Branford …

Besides his wife, Thomas is survived by his children Jeffrey Roby of Glastonbury, Christian Roby of West Hartford, Andrew Roby of Kamas, Utah, and Ashley Negron (Michael) of Wallingford; …

Thomas … absolutely loved spending days at Point of Woods Beach with his family in Old Lyme, CT …

Please see his online memorial at www.wsclancy.com

Visit this link to read the full obituary published by March 15 by the New Haven Register.

New CDC COVID Vaccination Guidelines for Moderately to Severely Immunocompromised Mean a 4th Dose for Many

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The author, Tom Gotowka of Old Lyme (pictured above) spent his entire adult career in healthcare.

The Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) announced new vaccination guidelines in mid-February, focused specifically on the “moderately to severely immunocompromised” population, updating their recommendations from last summer, when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the CDC recommended that the immunocompromised receive an additional, or third dose of the mRNA vaccines. 

My goals in this essay are to review what is generally considered “immunocompromised”, clarify some of the jargon that you’ll encounter should you pursue this subject further, and provide the highlights of the new guidelines.

After two years of COVID, Americans should probably be aware that there is extensive scientific evidence indicating that immunocompromised individuals are at increased risk for both serious COVID complications, and a higher mortality rate than the population at large. In addition, the immune response following vaccination may be weaker or of shorter duration in the immunocompromised. 

Simply put, these are people whose immune system isn’t working “as well as it should” to provide protection against infection. This increased risk was corroborated in a study published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). 

The Immunocompromised:

Epidemiologists estimate that about 3 percent of the population of the United States, — well over a million people, are considered “moderately to severely immunocompromised,” and are at much greater risk for serious illness if they contract COVID, even after vaccination.

Note that the prevalence of individuals, who have an immunocompromising condition of some sort or are taking medications that suppress the immune system, is substantially higher. A study, published last year in “JAMA Network Open”, found that over 3 percent of Americans between the ages 18 and 64, were prescribed medications that suppressed the immune system.  

However, many conditions and treatments can cause a person to be immunocompromised; and other health conditions may weaken the immune system. For example, some studies link alcohol addiction with a suppressed immune system.

In addition, age is also a factor; and, according to Dr. Jessica Lancaster, a Mayo Clinic immunologist, “our immune systems start to gradually decline as we age, and have a much more delayed immune response when faced with infection. Those over the age of 65 have a weakened immune system, and those 80 and older are considered immunocompromised.” 

You’re going to encounter some jargon, and two particularly important terms are the “mRNA vaccines”, which are the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which do not use a weakened or attenuated “germ” to stimulate the immune response; and the “primary series”, which in the context of the two mRNA vaccines, refers to their administration in two doses, one month apart; followed by a third “dose, one month after the second dose, for immunocompromised individuals.”

Note that, in this case, the CDC avoided the term, “booster”, rather emphasizing that the third dose should be considered part of a normal vaccination course, or “primary series”, for the immunocompromised.

The New Guidelines:

The CDC’s new recommendations include:

  • organ and stem cell transplant recipients, who are taking medications to fight rejection by suppressing the immune system
  • people with advanced or untreated HIV
  • people being treated for cancer with chemotherapy or radiation
  • individuals taking medications like high-dose corticosteroids, that weaken the immune system.

Not included at this time are people with chronic medical conditions like diabetes or heart disease.

The new guidance relates only to the two most commonly administered vaccines: Moderna and Pfizer; and not to the J& J vaccine, which has not been extensively studied among the immunocompromised. 

Note that in Connecticut, the Pfizer vaccine was administered in nearly 59 percent of cases; Moderna in nearly 38 percent; and J&J in the remainder, or roughly 3 percent.

The fundamental and most important change in these new guidelines is the recommendation that a 4th dose be administered to the “moderately to severely immunocompromised” in certain age groups. Here, the CDC considers the 4th dose as a “booster”.

In the following, I highlight the latest CDC recommendations for vaccines within a few age groups in the “moderately to severely immunocompromised population”

  • Children 5 to 11 years old should complete the “primary series”; with no “booster”.
  • Children 12 to 17 should complete the “primary series”; with a “booster” 3 months after the third dose.
  • People age 18 and older should complete the “primary series”; with a “booster” 3 months after the third dose.

People who have received a J&J vaccine can follow the link below for details on the CDC’s new recommendations for J&J recipients.

COVID-19 Vaccines for Moderately or Severely Immunocompromised People | CDC

A Few Nuances:

The FDA has approved the use of the Moderna vaccine on people who are 18 and older. It has not yet been approved for lesser ages.

The Pfizer vaccine is the vaccine of choice for children age 5 to 11 and 12 to 17.

Pfizer is currently testing its vaccine in children less than 5-years-old, and anticipates an FDA submission near mid-year.

Author’s Notes: I have not attempted to provide an exhaustive list of all immunocompromising conditions. If you have concerns about your own medical history, you should, of course consult whomever you see for medical advice. However, I have used some fairly robust sources in drafting the above; and based this report on information from the CDC, Ledge Light Health District (LLHD), the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, and the Yale School of Medicine. This is complicated stuff, and I hope that I’ve brought some clarity to the new guidelines. 

Note that I received my 4th dose last week at LLHD HQ; and they also have frequent vaccination clinics there and at locations throughout Southeast CT. You can find these on their website. 

I think that the bottom line is that getting this additional “booster” can help restore protection against COVID, which may have decreased over time (i.e. since your first dose.)