Reporting on the State of Connecticut’s Summary of COVID-19 cases, deaths, and tests.
The State of Connecticut’s COVID-19 metric report is now issued five times per week, every Monday through Friday. The report that is issued each Monday contains combined data that was collected on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. This schedule will remain in effect until further notice. Therefore, there will not be updates over the weekend.
A complete listing of all COVID-19 cases and analyses by age, hospitalizations, deaths, towns and county is reported by the Connecticut State Department of Health. This information can be found by following the link below:
https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/Coronavirus/CTDPHCOVID19summary8282020.pdf
LOCAL RESULTS
Total Reported
To Date Change from Probable
Yesterday Cases
Westport Residents COVID-19 Positive Reported to the State 335 +0 15
Weston Residents COVID-19 Positive Reported to the State 84 +0 3
Flu Season Is Approaching
Getting a flu shot is one of the simplest things you can do for your health and this year it’s more important than ever to be vaccinated. The prevalence of coronavirus in the United States means you really do not want the flu. Having both of the viruses at once, or having one after the other, could be hard on your health and impact your overall ability to recover. Although the seasonal influenza vaccine will not protect you against COVID-19, the flu shot has benefits. Flu vaccines have been shown to reduce the risk of flu illness, hospitalization, and death. Each year, tens of thousands of Americans are hospitalized with the flu. Because of the pandemic and the need to preserve health care resources, we need to boost the number of people who get the flu shot. Immunization against the flu is vital for your health and others, especially as the colder months approach.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are many different flu viruses and they are constantly changing. The composition of U.S. flu vaccines is reviewed annually and updated as needed to match circulating flu viruses. Flu vaccines protect against the three or four viruses (depending on the vaccine) that research suggests will be most common. The CDC does not anticipate a major change in the recommendation on timing of vaccination. September and October are good times to get vaccinated. However, as long as flu viruses are circulating, vaccination should continue, even in January or later.
The flu and COVID-19 share many (not all) symptoms, including fever, chills, cough, sore throat, muscle or body aches, headaches, and fatigue. The loss of taste and smell are specific symptoms of COVID-19. While it’s not possible to say for certain what will happen in the fall and winter, the CDC believes it’s likely that flu viruses and the virus that causes COVID-19 will both be spreading. That’s why getting the flu vaccine is great way to protect yourself.
Annual flu vaccination is recommended for everyone 6 months of age and older, with rare exceptions. The WWHD expects demand for flu shots will be higher than ever this season. The Health District will be offering the community a series of flu shot clinics starting in mid-September. Specific dates and times will be announced in the coming weeks. If you have any questions about the influenza vaccine, please contact your health care provider or reach out to our clinical staff.