First Selectman Again Urges Covid Vaccinations; Greenwich is a Red Zone; Town Reports Another Death

In First Selectman Fred Camillo’s “Community Connections” e-blast he said that as of 3:00pm on Friday, Dec 17 the cumulative number of resident Covid-19 cases was 6,471, with 143 active cases being tracked by Health Dept staff.

A week earlier, on Friday, December 10, there were 6,289 cases among residents.

Health Director Caroline Baisley reported that the 143 cases reflected an additional 97 cases confirmed since Tuesday, December 14.

On Friday alone, the Health Department received 51 new reported cases. The cases are predominately diagnosed in residents age 10 to 49 years old.

Source: Greenwich Schools, Dec 17, 2021

“Given the number of infections, the Town remains a red zone – as are most of our surrounding communities,” Camillo wrote.

Sadly, Camillo said, another Greenwich resident had died from Covid-19 last week, bringing the total to 99.

Earlier in the week, during a Yale New Haven Health System press conference via Zoom, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tom Balcezak noted it had been one year to the day since they started vaccinations, beginning with six staff members.

Balcezak said it was too early to come to conclusions about the efficacy of the Covid vaccine against the Omicron variant, but it appeared to be quite infectious.

He said that as the Omicron variant spreads, and since it may be more infectious, it will likely become the dominant variant at some point.

Greenwich Schools Covid Tracker, Dec 17, 2021

“There does seem to be good reason to be concerned, so get your booster,” he said. “It seems more likely to spread. It may be slightly less dangerous than Delta. And it does appear that Omicron is able to invade the immune system to some extent in people who are fully vaccinated, meaning the vaccine is somewhat less effective against Omicron.”

CEO Marna Borgstrom said that while she was fully vaccinated and boosted, she still wears a mask when she goes to the grocery story or pharmacy.

“I think it’s an important safety precaution to take, and I hope more people will do that.”

Greenwich Schools Covid Tracker, which is updated on Tuesdays and Fridays, indicated that on Tuesday there were 35 new cases. Then, on Friday, there were 64 new cases, reflecting the biggest jump since the start of school in September.

All schools in the district (15) were impacted, except Windrose, which is a GHS program on Delavan Ave in Byram.

Students will be soon be out on holiday recess, which runs Dec 24 to Dec 31.

“With the Christmas and New Year’s holidays approaching, please make the time to get vaccinated,” Camillo wrote in his Friday e-blast.

Yale New Haven Health (YNHHS) is administering booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in Fairfield County. All vaccinations are by appointment only and to find out which booster is available and to make an appointment, log onto the YNHHS website: www.ynhhs.org/covidvaccine.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health is offering mobile vaccine clinics. Information on locations can be found here. Information about the January 5, 2022 Greenwich Health Department vaccine clinic can be found here.