Bethel COVID Cases Continue To Trend In Right Direction: DPH

BETHEL, CT — The high coronavirus alert "red zone" towns have all but evaporated in Connecticut, and for the current week in Bethel, the numbers continue to trend in the right direction.

Bethel's coronavirus alert level remained at "yellow," as the town had 6.1 average daily cases per 100,000 residents and a positive test rate of 3.1 percent between Feb. 20 and Mar. 5, according to the state Department of Public Health. There were 8.7 average daily cases per 100,000 residents in the previous two-week reporting period, and the positive test rate is down from 3.8 percent.

It's important to note that a few cases can have a large impact on a municipal case rate, especially for small towns.

Statewide, the number of students reporting positive COVID-19 cases has dropped, along with mask regulations in most districts. In Bethel, only Anna H. Rockwell, Ralph M. T. Johnson and Bethel High School reported any student cases, each having fewer than six cases of COVID-19 among their student body from Mar. 3-9. All other schools in the Bethel School District reported zero infections during that time period, according to DPH.

As of Friday, 65.2 percent of Americans have been fully vaccinated. In Connecticut, 78 percent of residents have had both jabs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both those numbers are up just 0.2 percent over the previous week. Just under half of Connecticut residents have received a booster shot against the coronavirus.

Bethel is slightly behind the state curve, with 74.2 percent of its residents fully vaccinated, according to the latest DPH data.