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Coronavirus Death Toll Nears 2,000 In Connecticut; Hospitals Trying To Expand Testing Reach

COVID-19 rapid testing center Connecticut
Ryan Caron King
/
Connecticut Public
A member of the Connecticut National Guard directs traffic at a COVID-19 rapid testing center in New Haven. People who arrived for testing were instructed to keep their windows up and only slightly opened when talking to testing site employees.

In 40 days, Connecticut has gone from one confirmed coronavirus-related death to nearly 2,000. If that number is reached today, the death toll will have doubled in just 10 days.

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But the number of hospitalizations due to the virus has fallen for four straight days and, in New York, the daily death toll dropped below 400 for the first time in April.

Since New York has been ahead of Connecticut in the timeline of this pandemic, hopefully that type of downward trend will reach us soon.

Here’s the latest on the coronavirusin Connecticut...

Topline

  • Hartford HealthCare says it will begin piloting a mobile testing service for COVID-19 in Hartford that would allow people who do not have a vehicle to get tested.
  • The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 has dropped for four straight days.
  • A second inmate with the virus died just hours after a state judge dismissed a lawsuit seeking to reduce the number of people incarcerated.

By The Numbers

All numbers are as of April 26 at 4 p.m.

  • 1,924 deaths from COVID-19
  • 25,269 confirmed cases
    • Fairfield County: 10,529
    • New Haven County: 6,715
    • Hartford County: 4,989
    • Litchfield County: 864
    • Middlesex County: 588
    • New London County: 498
    • Tolland County: 407
    • Windham County: 157
    • Pending address validation: 522
  • More than 79,811 people tested

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The Latest

  • Hartford HealthCare says it will begin piloting a mobile testing service for COVID-19 in the city of Hartford. The service, which begins today, comes in response to criticism that most testing facilities are drive-up, and require patients to have transportation. The hospital network says the pilot could be expanded across the region and the state.
  • A state court Friday dismissed a lawsuit brought by the ACLU in Connecticut on behalf of the Connecticut Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and six prison inmates calling for a reduction in the number of people incarcerated in the state's prisons and jails - to prevent the spread of COVID-19. On Saturday, a second prison inmate died from the disease. The state Department of Correction says the 57-year-old was an inmate from the Willard-Cybulski Correctional Institution in Enfield. Meanwhile, a prominent New Haven rabbi in prison for sexually assaulting a student at his school, has been temporarily released. The New Haven Independent reports a state court judge said Daniel Greer has chronic asthma and is at risk of contracting the coronavirus. He's under house arrest for at least 45 days.
  • The president of Stop & Shop and the United Food and Commercial Workers International union want federal and state governments to classify grocery store workers as either “extended first responders” or “emergency personnel.” In a statement, they say this temporary designation would allow workers to have priority access to testing and emergency child care. 

Other Reads On The Coronavirus

Sesame Street Is Empty

Even Muppets are being affected by the pandemic and practicing social distancing. In a special episode of Sesame Street released last week, Elmo video chats with his other Muppet friends, and some celebrities too.

Hopefully all streets, from Sesame Street to Main Street can return to normal soon enough.

Stay safe. Stay sane. Stay distant.

Tucker Ives is WNPR's morning news producer.

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