Ridgefield COVID Cases, CT Red Zone Towns, On Uptick

RIDGEFIELD, CT —The number of high coronavirus alert "red zone" municipalities in the state more than doubled in the past week, as infections in Ridgefield also took a turn in the wrong direction.

The state Department of Public Health reported 20 towns with 15 or more cases per 100,000 on Thursday, up from just eight the previous week. Connecticut's seven-day moving positive test rate average has been incrementally increasing, but still remains well below rates seen earlier in the year.

Ridgefield has remained at the "orange" coronavirus status, the second-highest level. The town had 13.2 average daily cases per 100,000 residents and a positive test rate of 4.6 percent between Mar. 13-26, according to DPH.

There were just 10 average daily cases per 100,000 residents in the previous two-week reporting period, and the test rate is up 0.2 percent from last week's numbers.

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

Eight local schools, same as last week's count, have reported COVID-19 cases among their students.

Barlow Mountain Elementary School, Branchville Elementary School, East Ridge Middle School, Ridgebury Elementary School, Ridgefield Academy, Ridgefield High School, Saint Mary School and Scotts Ridge Middle School all reported fewer than six cases of COVID-19 among their student body from Mar. 24-30.

As of Thursday, 65.6 percent of Americans have been fully vaccinated. In Connecticut, 78.4 percent of residents have had both jabs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's a climb of 0.2 and 0.1 percent, respectively, over last week's tabulation. Just over half of Connecticut residents have received a booster shot against the coronavirus.

Ridgefield is slightly ahead of the state curve, with 81.81 percent of its residents fully vaccinated, up 0.05 from last week, according to the latest DPH data.

People 50 and older and anyone who is immunocompromised in Connecticut may get a second COVID-19 booster shot, the Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday.