State reports 4 more COVID fatalities

0
169

By Paul Hughes, Republican-American

HARTFORD — After two days of no coronavirus-associated deaths, the state reported four more fatalities Thursday, bringing the number of deaths in the outbreak to 4,410.

The Department of Public Health also released weekly statistics that showed four more residents of nursing homes died between July 15 and July 21.

There now have been 2,848 confirmed and probable deaths from coronavirus disease among nursing home residents, or nearly 65% of all the reported deaths related to COVID-19.

Public health officials also reported 32 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among nursing home staff between July 15 and July 21. There were no deaths reported. Since June 17, there have been 246 confirmed cases and two deaths.

An additional 83 cases of COVID-19 were reported Thursday out of 13,483 test results received for a positive test rate of 0.6% in that batch of testing.

In addition, 74 previously reported cases were removed due to updated laboratory findings of false positive results. DPH officials reported Monday that the State Public Health Laboratory discovered a testing flaw that led to 90 false positive tests.

The governor’s office said no information was available yet on how many other testing labs in Connecticut might have had the same problem. The DPH has contacted those labs.

There were 59,665 diagnostic tests done between July 12 and July 18, and 561 test results were positive, including 425 people who tested positive for the first time or had onset of symptoms. There have been 685,869 tests done to date.

There was also a net increase of nine patients hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19 between new admissions and discharges to 72 statewide.

To date, 10,712 patients have been hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in Connecticut and 8,516 have been discharged.

The Naugatuck Valley Health District reported Thursday that there have been 416 confirmed cases in Naugatuck and 57 confirmed cases in Beacon Falls. There have been 37 confirmed deaths associated with coronavirus and three probable deaths in Naugatuck, according to the health district, and none in Beacon Falls.

As of Friday morning, the Chesprocott Health District reported there have been 76 cases in Prospect and no coronavirus-related deaths in town.

Elio Gugliotti contributed to this report.