Orange Coronavirus Infection Rate Improving

ORANGE, CT — The level of coronavirus infection in Connecticut, which has been on a rocket-powered ascent since the middle of July, is finally showing some signs of coming back down to earth. The daily coronavirus positivity rate in the state has stayed below 3 percent since the end of August.

Orange had 18 average daily cases per 100,000 residents and a positive test rate of 4.90 percent between Aug. 22 and Sept. 4, according to the state Department of Public Health. There were 22.6 average daily cases per 100,000 residents in the previous two-week reporting period. It’s important to note that a small number of cases can have a large impact on a municipal case rate, especially for small towns.

Orange recorded 11 new coronavirus cases between September 1 and 9, according to DPH’s preliminary data.

Outside New England, the prognosis is less rosy. Americans are now getting infected with COVID-19 at 10 times the rate needed to end the pandemic, according to Anthony Fauci, the country's top infectious disease expert.

Hospitalizations aren't the only Connecticut COVID-19 metric that has leveled off: residents have pretty much pushed "pause" to vaccinations as well. Connecticut is still third in the nation, behind Vermont and Massachusetts when it comes to the percentage of its population fully vaccinated, but we have not moved the needle much all summer. Over 33 percent of the population is still not fully vaccinated.

In Orange 9,701 residents have been fully vaccinated as of Sept. 8 which is about 70 percent of the total population, according to DPH.