4 CT Counties at High Levels Amid ‘Long-Anticipated Winter COVID-19 Surge’ – NBC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has listed four Connecticut counties in the high/orange category for transmission of COVID-19 and state health officials said we are experiencing the “long-anticipated winter COVID-19 surge.”

Fairfield, Litchfield, Middlesex and New Haven counties are all listed as high on the community levels map and the state Department of Public Health is advising people in these communities to wear a mask indoors in public, stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and get tested if they have symptoms.

Hartford, New London, Tolland and Windham counties are listed in the Medium/Yellow category. 

The Connecticut Department of Public Health said the COVID-19 Community Levels mapping system focuses on preventing hospitals and health care systems from being overwhelmed and directing prevention efforts toward protecting people at high risk for severe illness.  

“We are now witnessing the long-anticipated winter COVID-19 surge. With 2023 right around the corner, we are in a far better place with this pandemic then we were in 2020,” Connecticut Department of Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani said in a statement. “We have many more tools at our disposal to deal effectively with COVID-19, including vaccines and updated boosters, Test to Treat locations, the mobile van clinics, and the wide availability of COVID-19 self-test kits.”

Commissioner Juthani said links to all these resources can be found in the DPH COVID-19 toolbox at www.ct.gov/coronavirus.

The department added that the federal government has now made available four free self-test kits per household, which can be ordered at www.covid.org/tests.

The state Department of Public Health said residents living in the counties designated the yellow/medium category who are at high risk for severe illness should talk to their health care providers about when they should consider wearing a mask and any other precautions they should consider taking. These residents should also stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and get tested if they have symptoms.