Easton Records 1,000th Case Of COVID-19

EASTON, CT — There are some early signs that the omicron wave may have peaked or will peak soon in Connecticut, but infection rates remain extremely high.

In Easton, health officials have recorded the town's 1,000th case.

"This is certainly an underestimate because many are testing at home and not being captured in the state data," said First Selectman David Bindelglass in an email toresidents Friday. "For the first time in several weeks, we had less cases week over week. For the week ending January 1, we had 129 cases and for the week ending January 8, 101."

Easton had 218.4 average daily cases per 100,000 residents and a positive test rate of 28.40 percent between Dec. 26 and Jan. 8, according to the state Department of Public Health. There were 196.6 average daily cases per 100,000 residents in the previous two-week reporting period. It’s important to note that a few cases can have a large impact on a municipal case rate, especially for small towns.

The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals hasn’t risen as quickly in the past few days, but nearly 2,000 already there are putting great strain on the hospital system.

Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 cases reported among the Connecticut PK-12 school community has grown.

Around 74 percent of Easton residents are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus as of Jan. 12, according to DPH.