Thanks to COVID-19, this summer doesn’t feel like summer. The U.S. has been struggling with new coronavirus cases, hospitalizations, and deaths all across the country. And while some states are making progress in reducing the number of cases, others are beginning to see an increase again.
However, according to Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) there’s one state that has everything under control and handles this crisis pretty well. That state is Connecticut. At a state coronavirus briefing that took place on Aug. 3, Anthony Fauci joined Gov. Ned Lamont and stated that “Connecticut is in a good place.”
Nonetheless, Connecticut is categorized as a “yellow” by the experts from the Covid Act Now. The state has 2.1 daily infections per 100,000 residents and an 0.99 infection rate, which is good because it looks like the virus is spreading slowly, but it’s not fully contained yet.
At the moment, Connecticut has a low positive test rate of 1.5 percent, but the state prepared for a possible spike in the future, with ample ICU beds and contact tracers.
“It is possible that you can use the favorable position that you are in now to keep the numbers down,” Fauci said. “I urge you to utilize the advantageous position that you’re in, in Connecticut, with a very low baseline to try and keep it there.”
Moreover, a tweet from Lamont showed that the positive test rate in the state was 0.7 percent over the weekend, which is very promising, and the number of hospitalizations have been reduced as well.
Additionally, in his briefing with the Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, Faucci addressed how important it is to follow his five guidelines and how it helps to put a stop to the spread of the virus. He argues the importance of “wearing masks, social distancing, avoiding indoor spaces as much as possible, avoiding bars, and practicing good hand hygiene.”
“Connecticut is in a good place, the numbers that the governor just showed are really indicative that you are in a situation that you now in many respects have the upper hand because you have such a low rate that when you do get new cases, you have the capability of containment,” Fauci said.
As long as Connecticut is going to take all of these measures, it will continue to be in a “good place,” despite the fact that COVID-19 cases are still spiking across the U.S.
Fauci also talked about the reopening of schools, and suggested that as long as the situation remains good in the state and the number of daily infections stays low, Connecticut should be able to go back to in-person learning. However, if the situation gets worse and the number of new cases will increase, he cautioned that state officials must be willing to change plans for the safety of citizens.
“There may be some areas where the level of virus is so high that it would not be prudent to bring the children back to school,” he said. “So you can’t make one statement about bringing children back to school in this country, it depends on where you are.”
In addition, Fauci brings good news for sports fans as well, suggesting that Connecticut would be able to bring sports back if it will continue to stay on this path.
“From what I’m seeing of the metrics in the state of Connecticut, you’re in a good place,” he said. “It depends on the sport, and it depends on what you’re talking about, vis a vis contact versus non contact, spectators versus non spectators. You’re talking about, you have a low level of infection. Should you have this sport, go ahead.”
However, fans will only be able to watch from a distance, as the crowds at indoor events still present a huge risk in the spread of the virus. But still, it seems like there’s only good news for Connecticut right now, and it will continue to be so if residents follow certain measures.
