Coronavirus Brookfield: Alert Level Climbs Back To 'Yellow'

BROOKFIELD, CT — There are now less than 10 of the high coronavirus alert "red zone" towns in Connecticut, as plummeting COVID-19 cases continue to drain the color from the state's alert level map.

In Brookfield, the numbers were trending in the wrong direction this week.

Brookfield's coronavirus alert level climbed from "gray" to "yellow," as the town had 5.9 average daily cases per 100,000 residents and a positive test rate of 3.1 percent between Feb. 27 and Mar. 12, according to the state Department of Public Health.

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

In the schools, the number of cases continues to drop on the average statewide, and in town. No schools in Brookfield reported any cases of COVID-19 among their student body from Mar. 10-16, according to DPH.

As of Thursday, 65.3 percent of Americans have been fully vaccinated. In Connecticut, 78.2 percent of residents have had both jabs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Connecticut's vaccinated population climbed 0.2 percent, and the country's 0.1 percent, from last week's tabulation. Just over half of Connecticut residents have received a booster shot against the coronavirus.

Brookfield is in line with the state's progress, with 78.25 percent of its residents fully vaccinated, according to the latest DPH data.

Federal health officials are optimistic as the third year of the pandemic begins, couching that with concern about an increase in so-called stealth omicron cases around the country. The omicron subvariant BA.2 has grown more common in the two months since it was first detected in the United States in January, and now represents about a quarter of new cases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Pfizer and its coronavirus vaccine partner, BioNTech, have asked the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization for the shots in an effort to bolster immunity among older Americans.