Weston, Easton & Redding 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.

Weston has remained at the "red" coronavirus alert status, the highest level. The town had 19.5 average daily cases per 100,000 residents, holding steady from last week, and a positive test rate of 4.4 percent between Mar. 13-26, up 0.2 percent from the previous reporting period.

Easton COVID-19 cases have shown a dramatic climb in the past week. The town reported 16.1 average daily cases per 100,000 residents, up from 5.7 the previous week. The positive test percentage in town climbed from 3.4 to 7.1 percent. As of Thursday, DPH data show Easton at "red" coronavirus alert status.

Redding remains at "yellow" coronavirus alert status, having reported 9.4 average daily cases per 100,000 residents and a 5.3 positive test percentage.

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

No schools in the Easton, Redding or Region 9 districts reported COVID-19 cases among their students bodies from Mar. 24-30. In Weston, the high school, intermediate school and middle school each reported fewer than six cases each.

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.

Weston is considerably ahead of the state curve, reporting nearly 85 percent of residents fully vaccinated as of Thursday. Easton (78.53 percent) and Redding (76.14 percent) are more in line with the state average, 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.