April 28 COVID-19 Update: 75%+ of CT Now in Red Zone; Two New Cases in Old Lyme Take Cumulative Total to 1109, One New Case in Lyme Takes Total There to 273

Posted on April 29, 2022 by Admin

This map, updated April 28, 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. One hundred and thirty one towns (representing a total of 77.5% of the state) are now found in the Red Zone. 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, April 28, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) shows two new, confirmed COVID-19 cases in Old Lyme and one in Lyme.

This case raises Old Lyme’s cumulative case total to 1109 and Lyme’s to 273.

On Thursday, April 28, the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) also released its latest weekly COVID-19 Alert Map (pictured above), which indicates that 131 municipalities are now in the Red (highest of four) Zone for case rates. These towns in the Red Zone include both Lyme and Old Lyme.

This number has increased by 23 over the 108 towns recorded in the Red Zone last week, thus increasing the number of towns in the Red Zone to over three-quarters (77.5%) of the state.

Although this total of Red Zone towns reflects a dramatic increase over last week’s number, it still shows a reduction in the number of Red Zone towns since Jan. 27, when the total was 168 out of 169 towns.

As of April 21, 2022 all nine towns in the Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) are now in the Red Zone.

The LLHD is no longer issuing reports with updated Case Rates and other metrics.

The CT DPH will issue an updated map of the zones Thursday, May 5 — 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

More on the Local Situation

April 5, 2022 was the most recent day on which no new cases were reported in either town.

Prior to March 25, Lyme had gone for 23 consecutive days with no new cases being reported. Two new cases were reported in Lyme on March 25.

Prior to April 5, the most recent day on which no new cases were reported in either Lyme or Old Lyme was March 24. There were also no new cases on March 9 and 4, and Feb. 24. The previous date prior to Feb. 24 when no new cases were reported in either town was Dec. 12, 2021.

Statewide Situation – Daily Update

The state’s COVID-19 Daily Positivity Rate rose to 8.92% on April 28, from 8.8% on April 27.

Yesterday’s rate of 8.92% is the state’s highest recorded COVID-19 Daily Positivity Rate since Jan.28, 2022 when the Rate stood at 9.73%.

On April 28, the number of COVID-related hospitalizations increased by 23 to 233 from 210 on April 27.

In contrast, on Jan. 12, 2022, the number of COVID-related hospitalizations was 1,939.

Of those hospitalized on April 28, the number not fully vaccinated was 70 (representing 30.04%).

The total number of COVID-related deaths in Connecticut increased 10,840 on April 28, according to The New York Times.

The next Daily Data Report will be issued by CT DPH Friday, April 29, around 4 p.m.

Increase in Cases in Lyme & Old Lyme Since August 2021

The cumulative total of confirmed cases for Old Lyme has now increased by 666 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 737 new cases there since that date.

Meanwhile, Lyme’s cumulative total on Aug. 26 was 114 indicating 159 new cases have also been confirmed there during the same period.

Ledge Light Health District Update

The LLHD is no longer issuing weekly updates unless there is, “any significant change in case rates, hospitalizations, etc.”

On April 14, LLHD sent LymeLine.com this press release issued by CT DPH the same day. It begins: With the current uptick of COVID-19 cases—coupled with the upcoming schedule of spring holidays and family gatherings—the Connecticut Department of Public Health is reminding residents of the tools currently in place to help contain the spread of the virus.

The new Community Levels tool created by the CDC can be viewed at this link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/covid-by-county.html

Ledge Light Health District continues to focus its 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 CDC Community Levels 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/

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.

COVID-19 Situation in LOL Schools

Under new state protocols for schools, Lyme-Old Lyme (LOL) Schools are no longer required to carry out contact tracing.

LOL Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser explained the latest developments in LOL Schools COVID protocols in an April 1 email to the school community, saying, “As noted in my email of February 17, 2022, beginning April 1, 2022 we will no longer report daily COVID-19 cases in the schools.”

He then stated, “For the remainder of this school year, that information will be complied on a weekly basis and will be available on our website at the following link: https://www.region18.org/parents/covid-data.”

Details published to date show no cases reported in the week April 3-9, and 14 cases reported in the week April 10-16. The following week was the spring break vacation.

For a summary of cases in LOL Schools between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2022, visit this link.

View a full listing of cases between 8/26/21 – 12/23/21 at this link.

Old Lyme’s Tree Commission Celebrates Arbor Day with Three New Tree Plantings on North Town Green

Posted on April 29, 2022 by Admin

Old Lyme First Selectman Tim Griswold (second from right) stands with Old Lyme Tree Commission members Joan Flynn, Fred Behringer and Joanne DiCamillo. Members missing from photo are : Michael Gaffey, Emily Griswold, and Anne Bing. All photos by J. DiCamillo.

OLD LYME — It is Arbor Day today and the Old Lyme Tree Commission celebrated a day earlier by planting three trees on the Sill Lane and Lyme Street Town Green.

It was a blustery 40 degrees with a sunny sky early Thursday morning, April 28, when the carrier from Morningstar Nursery arrived at the agreed location with three young tree specimens.

The nursery carrier arriving with the trees.

The landscape crew from River End Landscape was waiting onsite to unload the trees, remove the shipping materials, prepare the holes and set them into the ground with staking and mulching to follow.

This long-anticipated planting project was delayed for two years due to the short supply of trees in Connecticut nurseries.

In the summer 2021, acting on a recommendation from the Newport R.I. Tree Commission, the Old Lyme Tree Commission reached out beyond Connecticut state borders to Morningstar in R.I., who had the tree species the commission sought.

The commission immediately reserved them for planting in spring 2022, thus making their goal a reality … finally!

Adding nutrients to the soil.

All of the trees will, in time, enhance the Town Green’s landscape with their beauty and color. The three trees are:

Nyssa sylvatica, Black Gum:- a beautiful native tree with glossy green foliage in summer that turns scarlet, yellow and orange in the fall and produces small black berries, which birds love.
Prunus sargentii, Columnar Cherry:- an ornamental tree, will grow in a vase-shaped form, with shiny, dark green foliage, reddish-brown bark and masses of pink blossoms in May.
Syringa reticulata, Japanese Tree Lilac:- a small ornamental tree with cherry-like bark and large plumes of white flowers in June.

Placing the lilac tree in the planting hole.

The commission encourages all community members to remember the words of Emily Bronte, “Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.” Celebrate Arbor Day today by taking Bronte’s words to heart and consider how and where you can plant a tree!

Editor’s Note: For more information about Arbor Day, visit the Arbor Day Foundation’s website.

PARJE Celebrates Unveiling of New ‘Welcome’ Mural at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School

Posted on April 29, 2022 by Olwen Logan

Old Lyme First Selectman Timothy Griswold stands with the mural’s lead artist Jasmine Oyola-Blumenthal after the mural had been officially unveiled on Wednesday at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School. All photos by K. Monson except where indicated.

OLD LYME — UPDATED WITH FULL STORY: Around 40 members of the community along with several Old Lyme and Lyme-Old Lyme Schools dignitaries joined some 200 Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School students and faculty on Wednesday to celebrate the unveiling of a new Welcome mural, which had been sponsored by Public Art for Racial Justice Education (PARJE) and created in the school.

The completed mural shows students from many nations holding hands to cross a bridge.

The mural is part of the Sister Murals Project sponsored by Public Art for Racial Justice Education (PARJE), which was officially launched March 1, 2021. PARJE utilizes the broad appeal of art and education to confront racial injustice.

One mural has already been unveiled in Norwich and now murals are being worked on concurrently in Old Lyme and New London. Jasmine Oyola-Blumenthal, who is an alumna of Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, is the lead artist of the new Welcome mural in the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School (LOLMS.)

In addition to her role as lead artist, Oyola-Blumenthal worked with school faculty to develop student workshops, which coordinated with the project.

Oyola-Blumenthal and her counterpart, Marvin Espy, in New London were selected from a field of nearly 20 applicants. In her application, Oyola-Blumenthal had described art as, “a neutral vessel,” contending that [it], “Can bring forth conversations that can be uncomfortable and promote opportunities to open dialogue on racial justice and education.”

Jasmine Oyola-Blumenthal, lead artist for the ‘Welcome’ mural, addresses the audience at Wednesday’s ceremony in Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School to celebrate the unveiling of the mural. Photo by S. Hayes.

Superintendent of Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Ian Neviaser opened the ceremony and then a number of speeches were made including one by Kimberly Monson, a professional artist, who studied at Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, and subsequently became one of its faculty. She, in fact, had taught lead artist Oyola-Blumenthal when the latter was a student at the same college.

Monson noted, “An artistic legacy is passed from instructor to student and is a direct line to the artists and instructors before them. Therefore, with her training, Jas’s [Jasmine’s] pedigree can be traced back to artistic behemoths such as Saint Gaudens and Gerome.”

Monson then commented on Oyola-Blumenthal’s own legacy and its relevance to the project, saying, “Jas also has a legacy in her heritage. She holds within her … the hopes and dreams of embracing diversity, which, in addition to her talent, give her an insightful perspective to this Mural project … [She carries] the legacy, of not only the Artists housed and trained here, but also [in her role] as the voice of collaboration with our kids.”

Monson spoke warmly of Oyola-Blumenthal’s skills saying, “Jas’s sense of design was always powerful. She knows how to arrange a picture to tell a story and she has a strong command of color and pattern that celebrates her contagious optimism,” emphasizing, “All of this shows itself beautifully on the Mural painted in your hall.”

Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School students hard at work on the mural.

Three LOLMS eighth grade students read their poems related to the Witness Stones project in Old Lyme, in which houses where enslaved people were kept in town have been identified by engraved stones placed in front of them. The students were Maggie Thuma, Thomas Kelly and Anne-Marie Hinkley.

Thelma Halloran, who is the LOLMS art teacher also spoke during the ceremony. She had collaborated with Oyola-Blumenthal on many parts of the mural project. She explained how she had become involved with, “a new group in Old Lyme created by the Rev. David W. Good, Minister Emeritus of The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme.”

This group, which became PARJE, was created more than a year ago in response to tragic events in the news like the death of George Floyd. Halloran said, “David wanted to remind everyone in Old Lyme that the town has a history of welcoming people – all kinds of people.”

She then listed some of those who had been welcomed into the town mentioning four refugee families from Laos, a refugee family from Rwanda, and another from Syria. She also recalled a family from the Congo, who lived in a refugee house bought by the Congregational church and families from Pakistan, Guatemala, Burma, and South Africa. In addition, she mentioned a family, whose home was destroyed by a hurricane in Puerto Rico, who also found a home in Old Lyme.

No space was left unpainted as the mural takes form.

Halloran noted, “This history of hospitality to all who come to Old Lyme has evolved through time. It has not always been perfect. This is why there is a continued effort to strive to be a better community, including in our schools.”

She continued, “Let the message of this mural continue to be a reminder of the values we share in the town of Old Lyme, and as a community in our schools. Make the message of this mural come to life in your words and your actions with everyone you encounter, not just student to student, not just student to teacher, and not just the new faces you see.”

Urging the students to, “continue to show your kindness” to everyone in school including such people as custodians, security guards, secretaries, and paraprofessionals, she then told them also to, “Show your kindness to the student, who looks like you, but doesn’t think like you.” explaining firmly, “This is what we mean when we say welcome.”

The intensity given to the project is clear on the faces of the students.

Halloran concluded by quoting the words of the 2021 US Presidential Inauguration poet Amanda Gorman, who said evocatively,
“The new dawn balloons as we free it.
For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.”

Editor’s Note: Visit this link to see the video NBC TV posted about the event.

April 27 COVID-19 Update: Three New Cases in Old Lyme Take Cumulative Total to 1107, Lyme Holds at 272

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Admin

Photo by CDC on Unsplash,

LYME/OLD LYME — The Daily Data Report issued Wednesday, April 27, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) shows three new, confirmed COVID-19 cases in Old Lyme and none in Lyme.

This case raises Old Lyme’s cumulative case total to 1107 while Lyme’s holds at 272.

April 5, 2022 was the most recent day on which no new cases were reported in either town.

Prior to March 25, Lyme had gone for 23 consecutive days with no new cases being reported. Two new cases were reported in Lyme on March 25.