May 12, 2021

You are here: Home / Archives for Towns / Lyme

May 11 COVID-19 Update: No New Cases in Either Lyme, Old Lyme; Lyme Holds at 107, OL at 341

May 12, 2021 by Leave a Comment

LYME/OLD LYME —The Daily Data Report for Connecticut issued Tuesday, May 11, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health(CT-DPH) for data as at 8:30 p.m. Monday, May 10, shows that no new COVID-19 cases were recorded in either Lyme or Old Lyme compared with the previous day. Lyme and Old Lyme held at their previous day’s cumulative case totals of, respectively, 107 and 341.

These Daily Reports are not issued by CT DPH on Saturdays or Sundays and therefore Monday’s data includes new cases from both weekend days. The next new report will be issued in the afternoon of Wednesday, May 12.

Old Lyme – No Change in Cumulative Cases

The May 11 Daily Data Report for Connecticut for data as at 8:30 p.m. Monday, May 10, shows that Old Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 330 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 11 probable cases, making a TOTAL of 341 cases.

This represents NO CHANGE in the cumulative number of confirmed or probable cases compared with those reported the previous day.

The total number of Old Lyme residents tested is 5,234, an increase of eight over the previous day’s number of 5,226.

Lyme – No Change in Cumulative Cases

Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 99 confirmed cases and 8 probable cases, making a TOTAL of 107 cases.

This represents NO CHANGE in the cumulative number of confirmed or probable cases compared with those reported the previous day.

The total number of Lyme residents tested is 1,401, which represents no change over the previous day’s number of 1,401.

Two-Week New Case Rates Zones: Old Lyme in Yellow, Lyme in Gray

The report issued Tuesday, May 11, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) for the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks shows another major improvement for the state as whole with the number of towns remaining in the Red Zone (indicating the highest COVID-19 new case rates) falling to 54 from last week’s number of 97.

During a news conference held Thursday, May 6, Gov. Ned Lamont attributed the decrease in infections to the continuing roll-out of the coronavirus vaccine.

Both Lyme and Old Lyme remain in the zones in which they were placed last week with Old Lyme still in the Yellow (second lowest new case rate) Zone while Lyme remains in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone.

Old Lyme is now one of the 31 towns in the Yellow Zone. Last week, there were 18 towns in this Zone, so this is encouraging news as more towns fall out of the Orange (second highest) Zone.

Lyme is in the Gray Zone for two-week new case rates, recording an eighth straight week in the lowest zone. Twenty-two towns were in this zone last week and, in more good news, this number has increased to 29 this week.

In both cases, the increased total in each Zone reflects a decreased new case rate. (Four zones are specified by the CT DPH — see details below.)

Overall, the number of towns in each zone is shown below with the previous week’s number in parentheses:

  • 29 (22) towns are now in the (lowest case rate) Gray Zone
  • 31 (18) are in the (lowest but one) Yellow Zone
  • 55 (32) are in the (second highest case rate) Orange Zone.

All the remaining 54 towns are in the Red Zone — last week’s number was 97.

Lyme joins 21 other towns in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone: Andover, Bozrah, Bridgewater, Canaan, Chaplin, Chester, Colebrook, Cornwall, Deep River, East Granby, Essex, Franklin, Hampton, Kent, Lisbon, Lyme, Middlefield, Norfolk, Pomfret, Roxbury, Salisbury, Scotland, Sharon, Union, Warren, Washington, Weston, Westport and Willington.

Old Lyme joins 30 other towns in the Yellow (second lowest rate) Zone: Avon, Brooklyn, Clinton, Colchester, Columbia, Darien, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, East Lyme, Easton, Glastonbury, Granby, Griswold, Killingworth, Ledyard, Marlborough, New Fairfield, New Hartford, Newington, Portland, Preston, Rocky Hill, Somers, Southbury, Stonington, Tolland, West Hartford, Woodbridge and Woodbury

The Orange (second highest rate) Zone now has 55 towns : Ashford, Beacon Falls, Berlin, Bethany, Bethel, Bethlehem, Bloomfield, Bolton, Branford, Brookfield, Canterbury, Canton, Cheshire, Coventry, Danbury, Ellington, Fairfield, Farmington, Goshen, Greenwich, Groton, Guilford, Haddam, Harwinton, Lebanon, Litchfield, Madison, Mansfield, Montville, New Canaan, New Milford, North Canaan, North Haven, North Stonington, Old Saybrook, Oxford, Redding, Ridgefield, Salem, Simsbury, South Windsor, Sprague, Stafford, Suffield, Thompson, Vernon, Voluntown, Waterford, Westbrook, Wethersfield, Wilton, Winchester, Windsor, Windsor Locks and Woodstock.

  • The Gray category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is less than five or less than five reported cases.
  • The Yellow category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is between five and nine reported cases.
  • The Orange category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is between 10 and 14.
  • The Red category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town exceeds 15.

In all cases, this rate does not include cases or tests among residents of nursing home, assisted living, or correctional facilities.

This report is issued daily, but only updated weekly on Thursdays. The most recent report was updated Thursday, May 6; the next updated report will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, May 13.

More Detail on Two-Week Case Rates: Old Lyme Down, Lyme Up

LLHD Director of Health Stephen Mansfield

On Thursday, May 6, Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) also issued their latest weekly report of COVID data for the municipalities within their District.

Ledge Light Director of Health Stephen Mansfield prefaces the report with the comment, “Although the number of new cases remain relatively stable, our contact tracers continue to report clusters, especially those associated with social gatherings and sporting events.”

He stresses, however, “Although we are making great strides with our COVID vaccination program, it is still imperative that we remain diligent in our mitigation strategies.”

The latest Average Daily Case Rate announced Thursday, May 6, (from 4/18 to 5/01) have stayed constant in Old Lyme but decreased in Lyme.

The two-week case rates are as follows:

  • Old Lyme from 9.7 to 9.7
  • Lyme from 9.2 to 6.1

The same report shows that the case numbers in Week 1 and Week 2 respectively and recorded for the period 4/18 to 5/01  (compared with the previous two-week case rate shown in parentheses) are as follows:

  • Lyme had 2 (1) case in Week 1 and 0 (2) in Week 2
  • Old Lyme had 7 (3) cases in Week 1 and 3 (7) in Week 2

This data was updated May 6. The next Ledge Light Weekly Data Report for its District will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, May 13.

Vaccination Rates

Lyme is ahead of Old Lyme in terms of the percentage of its total population that have received a first dose, with 74.65 (72.06) percent vaccinated compared with 65.56 (63.89) percent in Old Lyme. The previous week’s percentages are shown in parentheses.

The percentages for both towns for the age cohort 65+ are very encouraging with Lyme now having 100 percent of seniors 65 and above fully vaccinated while 97.69 (92.85) percent of the same age cohort are fully vaccinated in Old Lyme.

The percentages for the age cohort 45-64, however, show the numbers reversing with Old Lyme having 57.66 percent fully vaccinated marginally ahead of Lyme at 53.91 percent.

Regarding the age 15-44 cohort, Lyme comes back into the lead again with 37.71 percent fully vaccinated while Old Lyme stands at 33.99 percent.

The state changed its reporting format for vaccination rates on April 15 and their new data does not align precisely with the former data. The detailed data below was partly updated April 29. One change is that the state is now reporting 65 and above as one group, whereas it was previously split into 65-74 and 75 and above. We will present new vaccination rate tables shortly.

Old Lyme
Total population:  7,306
Estimated population age 65-74:  1,067
Estimated population age 75 and above:  794

DateTotal pop. 1st dose given1st dose given as % of total pop. 1st dose given age 65-741st dose given as % of age 65-74 pop. 1st dose given age 75 & above1st dose given as % of age 75 & above pop.
3/12,11528.95%83578%73092%
3/82,62635,94%94588.57%76496.22%
3/153,07042.02%1,02796.25%797100.38%
3/243,24144.36%99893.53%75394.84%
3/313,55348.63%1,00193.81%75595.09%
4/74,17057.08%1,078101.08%76396.1%
4/154,80665.78%1,104103.47%77597.61%
4/294,66863.89%

Lyme
Total population:  2,316
Estimated population age 65-74:  372
Estimated population age 75 and above:  274

DateTotal pop. 1st dose gven1st dose given as % of total population 1st dose given age 65-741st dose given as % of age 65-74 pop.1st dose given age 75 & above1st dose given as a % of age 75 & above pop.
3/160526.12%24466%22281%
3/876733.12%28175.54%22983.58%
3/1580134.59%26972.31%20675.18%
3/241,13549.01%36297.31%279101.82%
3/311,25954.36%372100.00%289105.47%
4/71,51065.2%414111.29%295107.66%
4/151,73975.09%430115.59%298108.76%
4/291,66972.06%

Three Fatalities in Old Lyme Since Pandemic Began, None in Lyme

According to the report mentioned above, there have now been THREE fatalities in Old Lyme. Asked Tuesday, Feb. 9, for details of this third fatality, Ledge Light Health Department Director of Health Stephen Mansfield responded, “We have not been notified of any recent deaths in Old Lyme. Keep in mind that that report is compiled by the Connecticut Department of Public Health; deaths are not reportable to local health districts.”

He added, “I can’t speak for their data sources.”

The two fatalities from Old Lyme previously reported in 2020 were a 61-year-old female and an 82-year-old male.

No fatalities have been reported in Lyme.

Connecticut Hospital Occupancy

At the request of several readers, we have added a new report showing the respective rates of hospital occupancy at local hospitals. The data for this report is obtained from the Connecticut Hospital Occupancy Report published weekly by the CT DPH and extracted from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) facility-level data for hospital utilization aggregated on a weekly basis (Friday to Thursday).

The most recent report is dated Feb. 19 and covers the two-week period from 2/12 to 2/18. No subsequent updates have been issued.

Hospital Name% Adult In-patient Occupancy % Adult ICU Occupancy
Data from 1/8 - 1/14
Backus84.424.2
Lawrence & Memorial90.891.4
Middlesex78.289.9
Yale-New Haven87.982.6
Statewide80.860.9
Data from 1/15 - 1/21
Backus83.224.2
Lawrence & Memorial84.090.7
Middlesex83.388.7
Yale-New Haven91.487.9
Statewide79.960.8
Data from1/22 - 1/29
Backus66.10.0
Lawrence & Memorial90.690.0
Middlesex77.286.3
Yale-New Haven84.425.8
Statewide81.262.3
Data from1/29 - 2/5
Backus8622
Lawrence & Memorial8893
Middlesex6661
Yale-New Haven9189
Statewide79.360.7
Data from 2/1 - 2/11
Backus83.822.2
L & M87.687.9
Middlesex68.881.5
Yale-New Haven91.788.3
Statewide80.261.0
Data from 2/12 - 2/18
Backus79.122.4
L & M84.182.1
Middlesex74.488.1
Yale-New Haven90.883.6
Statewide77.959.8

Editor’s Note: The state issues a COVID-19 metric report daily around 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, which includes current data up to the previous evening. In light of the ongoing rise in Coronavirus cases, we publish a new weekday update reporting confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Lyme and Old Lyme. 

Filed Under: COVID-19, Headline News, Lyme, Old Lyme

Lyme-Old Lyme High School, Middle School Announce Q3 Honor Rolls

May 11, 2021 by Leave a Comment

Lyme-Old Lyme High School
Q3 Honor Roll    2020-21

HIGH HONORS
Grade 12:
Kaylee Armenia, Olivia Bartlett, Maxwell Bauchmann, Ava Berry, Emma Boardman, Kyuss Buono, Keenan Burr, Kate Cheney, Hunter Collins, Emerson Colwell, Megan Cravinho, Patrick Dagher, George Danes, Bianca Dasilva, Emily DeRoehn, Corah Engdall, Isabella Flagge, Sadie Frankel, Fiona Frederiks, Samuel Koenigs, Paige Kolesnik, Avery Lacourciere, Grace Lathrop, Mackenzie Machnik, Madelyn Maskell, Elle McAraw, Brendan McTigue, Marina Melluzzo, Riley Nelson, Sophia Ortoleva, Connie Pan, Olivia Papanier, Anwyn Paynter, Jenny Pelaez Cajamarca, Gavin Porter, Aidan Powers, Ezra Pyle, Julie Rudd, Hayden Saunders, Tait Sawden, Jesper Silberberg, Tessa St.Germain, Lian Thompson, McKenzey Thompson, Kelly Walsh, Alison Ward, Ellery Zrenda.

Grade 11:
Nicholas Adeletti, Nihad Bicic, Hannah Britt, Mackenzie Bussolotti, James Creagan, Lauren Creagan, Henry Cutler-Stamm, Eleanor Dushin, Lauren Enright, Victoria Gage, Nicolette Hallahan, Austin Halsey, Andrew Hedberg, Fiona Hufford, Julia Johnston, Nevin Joshy, Kian Kardestuncer, Robyn King, Michael Klier, Felse Kyle, William Larson, Reese Maguire, Abigail Manthous, Stephanie Mauro, Elle Myers, Bella Orlando, Jacob Ritchie, Margaret Rommel, Alexander Roth, Frank Sablone, Calvin Scheiber, Abigail Sicuranza, Abby Speckhals, Drew St.Louis, Nikolai Stephens-Zumbaum, Maverick Swaney, Madison Thompson, Alexandra Tinniswood, Evan Visgilio, Aidan Ward, Melanie Warren, Ellie Wells, Paige Winchell, Jenna Woods.

Grade 10:
Olivia Alpha, William Barry, Callie Bass, Livie Bass, Jillian Beebe, Jordan Beebe, Cooper Bowman, Gillian Bradley, Jamie Bucior, Gretchen Burgess, Hayley Cann, Liam Celic, Alexander Chrysoulakis, Grace Colwell, William Danes, Anna Davis, Jacob Derynioski, John Eichholz, Alexis Fenton, Ethan Hale, Willa Hoerauf, Arber Hoxha, Jonah Lathrop, Ford Macadam, Amy Magalhaes, Marielle Mather, Kennedy McCormick, Madalyn McCulloch, Madeleine Morgado, Cooper Munson, Alexander Olsen, Alain Pecher-Kohout, Kelsey Pryor, Izzadora Reynolds, Santiago Rodriguez, Benjamin Roth, Eli Ryan, Alyssa Spooner, Samantha Tan, Tova Toriello, Kaitlyn Ward, Harry Whitten.

Grade 9:
Emma Bayor, Oliver Berry, Alis Bicic, Natalie Buckley, Jackson Bullock, Sarah Colangelo, Ella Curtiss-Reardon, Eric Dagher, Eva D’Onofrio, Mulanga Drysile, Amelia Gage, Marcia Geronimo, Calla Gilson, Sydney Goulding, Alexis Grasdock, Justin Green, Douglas Griswold, Abby Hale, Ella Halsey, Sedona Holland, Agatha Hunt, Beatrice Hunt, Sabina Jungkeit, Emmerson Kaye, Grady Lacourciere, Griffin McGlinchey, Elaina Morosky, Delaney Nelson, Isabelle O’Connor, Ronald Olin, Jack Porter, Luisa Raby, Sydney Siefken, Hannah Thomas, Louisa Warlitz, Mason Wells, Tyler Wells, Duohui Yan.

HONORS
Grade 12:
Paige Alpha, Colbe Andrews, Juliette Atkinson, Sonia Bair, Rachel Barretta, Sadie Bowman, Jackson Cowell, John Cox, Francette Donato, Samantha Gray, Schuyler Greenho, Emma Griffith, Aryn Jones, Regan Kaye, Gabriel Lavoie, Owen Macadam, Emma McCulloch, Emma Meekhoff, Michael Milazzo, Lauren Pitt, Jacob Quaratella, Kassidy Standish, Jake Stewart, Katelyn Zbierski.

Grade 11:
John Almy, Evan Clark, Ryan Clark, John Conley, Grace Coverdale, Caroline Crolius, Elise DeBernardo, Elizabeth Duddy, Samantha Geshel, Aiden Goiangos, Shawn Grenier, Liam Grethel, Jackson Harris, Zoe Jensen, Cora Kern, Evan Morgan, Samuel Mullaney, Emily Nickerson, Brendan O’Brien, Michael O’Donnell, Lauren Presti, Adeline Riccio, Aidan Russell, McLean Signora, Daniel Stack, Victoria Stout, Olivia Turtoro, Aden Wilson, Ryan Zbierski.

Grade 10:
Sophia Adkins, Whitney Barbour, Ava Brinkerhoff, Sarah Burnham, Jennifer Cajamarca, Luke Celic, Nicholas Cox, Matthew Grammatico, Aidan Kerrigan, Theodore Lampos, Karleigh Landers, Monique Lavoie, Jacob Lopez-Bravo, Calvin Monte, Jaden Reyes, Rhyleigh Russell, Jenna Schauder, Anders Silberberg, Ned Smith, Malcolm Speirs.

Grade 9:
Jedidiah Arico, Elliot Bjornberg, Ava Cummins, Macklin Cushman, Lucas DaSilva, Alexis Frascarelli, Nyla Goulis, Katherine Gryk, Leland Hine, Jair Lata Yanza, Luke Legein, Matthew Mazzalupo, Katherine Mullaney, Dylan Paynter, Grace Phaneuf, Ava Roth, Cailin Ruhling, Kylie-Jean Sevigny, Haley Shaw, Madeleine Soriano, Gabriel Tooker, Kalea VanPelt, Keara Ward, Summer Wollack.

Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School
Quarter 3 Honor Roll   2020-21

HIGH HONORS
Grade 8:
Christopher Anderson, Emma Arelt, Quinn Arico, Natalie Barndt, Micah Bass, Molly Boardman, Justin Bonatti, Mark Burnham, Nathan Burres, Chase Calderon, Andrew Clougherty, Tabitha Colwell, Chloe Datum, Andrea DeBernardo, Zoe Eastman-Grossel, Caeli Edmed, Anna Eichholz, Ella Evans, Grace Ferman, Benedict Frazier, Hoshena Gemme, Ava Gilbert, Abigail Griffith, Henry Griswold, Jonathan Harms, Nicolas Hatch, Kaela Hoss, Rowan Hovey, Shyla Jones, Simon Karpinski, Olivia Kelly, Ella Kiem, Mia Klewin, Peter Kuhn, Ada LaConti, James Lahot Straub, Elise Leonardo, Evan LeQuire, Andrew Liu, Abigail O’Brien, Kanon Oharu, Mutia Quarshie, Drea Simler, Audrey Spiegel, Kathleen Walsh.

Grade 7:
Charlotte Antonino, Zoe Brunza, Alec Butzer, Trevor Buydos, Makayla Calderon, Tyler Cann, Colman Curtiss-Reardon, Christopher Dagher, James Dahlke, Sophia D’Angelo, Rose Dimmock, William Donnelly, Jonathan Farrell, Gabrielle Field, Chase Gilbert, Alexander Glaras, Scarlette Graybill, Christopher Kachur, Thomas Kelly, Katherine King, Jade Lawton, Maya LeQuire, Jayden Livesey, Emily Looney, Elise Marchant, Samuel Masanz, Bridget McAdams, Carter McGlinchey, Ryan Miller, Nina Nichols, Ryan Olsen, Ryan Ortoleva, Louis Patana, Isabella Presti, Jacob Prokopets, Taylor Quintin, Jenna Salpietro, Sophia Shaposhnikova, Luca Signora, Emma Singleton, Addison Spooner, Carson St.Louis, Andrew Taylor, Meredith Thompson, Margaret Thuma, Lucian Tracano, Madeleine Trepanier, Connor Vautrain, Elisabeth Viera, Warren Volles, Edith Williams, Oliver Wyman, Stella Young, Carl Zapatka, Katherine Zhang.

Grade 6:
Collin Anderson, Lucia Arico, Addison Arndt, Zak Avelange, Phineas Barrett, Zachary Belval, Mia Bonatti, Ceciley Buckley, Morgan Buerger, Marla Bulas, Brooke Burgess, William Burgess, Ryan Burres, Anna Bussmann, Brennan Butzer, Lillian Calabrese, Aidan Carpentino, Chase Catalano, Isaac Chartier, Amirah D’Lizarraga, Elliot Dunn-Sims, Samson Edmed, Edward Fiske, Lauren Fulara, Kaedin Gerster, Harrison Goulis, Charles Halsey, Owen Holth, Carolyn Hu, Kalonji Joyce, Elsa Jungkeit, Josephine Kiem, Allisondra Krol, Callahan Lacourciere, Alexa Legein, Olivia Lovendale, John Morosky, Emelia Munster, Grace Osborne, Mia Palmer, Ainsley Rinoski, Cameron Russell, Kevork Shegirian, Nicholas Sokolowski, Carli Teixeira, Magdalena Tooker, Ethan Trepanier, Bowen Turick, Kaylyn Vernon, Ivy Wilson, Charles Zelek.

HONORS

Grade 8:
Oliver Avelange, Shane Eastman-Grossel, Samantha Fiske, Bronwyn Kyle, Brenden Landry, Colette Marchant, Andrew Sicuranza, Madeline Supersano.

Grade 7:
Julia Clark, Anne-Marie Hinckley, Harrison Kleefeld, William Landon, Sebastian Lopez-Bravo, Ian Maeby, Daniela Marin Yanza, Quenten Patz, Tanner Snurkowski, Charlotte Spiegel, John Turick.

Grade 6:
Johanna Coker, Taiyo Gemme, Samuel Gilbert, Gavin Goulis, Skylar Graybill, Logan Landry, Matilda Miller, Eva Oulahan-Smith, Arthur Riccio, Collin Swaney, Brody Ziolkovski.

Filed Under: Lyme, Old Lyme, Schools, Top Story

Virtual Presentation on ‘What the Marijuana Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know,’ Tonight; All Welcome

May 11, 2021 by Leave a Comment


LYME/OLD LYME — Join a virtual presentation this evening at 7 p.m. titled, Smokescreen: What the Marijuana Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know.

From the leading authority on marijuana—a man who has served as White House advisor on drugs to three different administrations and who NBC News once called “the prodigy of drug politics”—comes the remarkable and fascinating exposé about how 21st century pot, today’s new and highly potent form of the drug, is on the rise, spreading rapidly across America by an industry intent on putting rising profits over public health.
All are welcome, but you must pre-register to obtain the Zoom link.
Filed Under: Lyme, Old Lyme

In It Together: Understanding Critical Connections Between Drug Use/Abuse and Mental Illness

May 11, 2021 by Leave a Comment


LYME/OLD LYME — As we recognize both National Prevention Week this week (May 9-15) and National Mental Health Awareness Month during the whole month of May, the Lyme-Old Lyme Prevention Coalition is actively working to educate the community about substance abuse, our youth, and the role of prevention. 

Understanding how substance use and abuse before the age of 25 has a profound impact on our youth is a critical step in preventing adolescent alcohol and drug use.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), drug addiction is classified as a mental illness because addiction changes the brain in fundamental ways, disturbing a person’s normal hierarchy of needs and desires, and substituting new priorities connected with procuring and using drugs. The resulting compulsive behaviors that override the ability to control impulses, despite the consequences, are similar to hallmarks of other mental illnesses.

In fact, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), which is the definitive resource of diagnostic criteria for all mental disorders, includes criteria for drug use disorders, distinguishing between two types: drug abuse and drug dependence.

Drug dependence is synonymous with addiction.

By comparison, the criteria for drug abuse hinge on the harmful consequences of repeated use, but do not include  compulsive use, tolerance (i.e., needing higher doses to achieve the same effect), or withdrawal (i.e., symptoms that occur when use is stopped), which can be signs of addiction.

Many people, who regularly abuse drugs, are also diagnosed with mental disorders and vice versa. The high prevalence of this comorbidity has been documented in multiple, national population surveys since the 1980s. Data shows that persons diagnosed with mood or anxiety disorders are about twice as likely to suffer also from a substance use disorder (abuse or dependence) compared with respondents in general.

The same is true for those diagnosed with an antisocial syndrome, such as antisocial personality or conduct disorder. Similarly, persons diagnosed with substance use disorders are roughly twice as likely to suffer also from mood and anxiety disorders.

Adolescence – A Vulnerable Time

Although substance abuse and addiction can happen at any time during a person’s life, drug use typically starts in adolescence. Photo by Gras Grun on Unsplash.

Although substance abuse and addiction can happen at any time during a person’s life, drug use typically starts in adolescence, a period when the first signs of mental illness commonly appear. It is therefore not surprising that comorbid disorders can already be seen among youth.

Significant changes in the brain occur during adolescence, which may enhance vulnerability to drug use and the development of addiction and other mental disorders. Drugs of abuse affect brain circuits involved in learning and memory, reward-comprehension, decision-making, and behavioral control, all of which are still maturing into early adulthood. 

One of the brain areas still maturing during adolescence is the prefrontal cortex – the part of the brain that enables us to assess situations, make sound decisions, and keep our emotions and desires under control. The fact that this critical part of an adolescent’s brain is still a work-in-progress puts them at increased risk for poor decision-making (such as trying drugs or continuing abuse.)

Thus, introducing drugs while the brain is still developing may have profound and long-lasting consequences. This is especially true as we see a rise in marijuana use and the extremely high amounts of THC found in today’s cannabis market.  

The more we learn, the better we understand the abilities and vulnerabilities of teens, and the significance of this stage for life-long mental health. The fact that so much change is taking place beneath the surface may be something for parents, family members, and others to keep in mind during the ups and downs of adolescence. 

Research has shown that prevention programs involving families, schools, communities, and the media are effective in reducing drug abuse.

For more information about the work of the Lyme-Old Lyme Prevention Coalition, visit www.lysb.org.   

The Lyme-Old Lyme Prevention Coalition also hosts a Community Podcast:  L-OL:In it Together where you can find episodes related to prevention. Find links to the show at www.lysb.org/podcast.             

(Source: NIDA)

Alli Behnke

About the Author: Alli Behnke, MSW, MA is the Prevention Coordinator at Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau. She has been a Social Worker for 20 years working in the fields of prevention, therapy, youth leadership, and health coaching. Alli believes strongly in providing accurate information, education, and tools for success when empowering the Lyme/Old Lyme Prevention Coalition and REACH Youth Coalition to work together on strengths-based campaigns. The Coalitions address substance abuse and other risky behaviors challenging our youth and families. Contact her at abehnke@lysb.org or visit  www.lysb.org to become involved in this important community work.

Filed Under: Community, Lyme, Old Lyme, Schools, Top Story

May 10 COVID-19 Update: Lyme’s Cumulative Case Total Increases by One to 107, No Change in Old Lyme at 341

May 11, 2021 by Leave a Comment

LYME/OLD LYME —The Daily Data Report for Connecticut issued Monday, May 10, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health(CT-DPH) for data as at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, May 9, shows that Lyme increased by one new COVID-19 case since the previous day to 107 while Old Lyme held at its previous day’s cumulative total of 341.

These Daily Reports are not issued by CT DPH on Saturdays or Sundays and therefore Monday’s data includes new cases from both weekend days. The next new report will be issued in the afternoon of Monday, May 10.

Lyme – Cumulative Cases Up One

Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 99 confirmed cases and 8 probable cases, making a TOTAL of 107 cases.

This represents an INCREASE of ONE in the cumulative number of confirmed cases and NO CHANGE in the number of probable cases compared with those reported the previous day.

The total number of Lyme residents tested is 1,401, which represents an increase of four over the previous day’s number of 1,397.

Old Lyme – No Change in Cumulative Cases

The May 10 Daily Data Report for Connecticut for data as at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, May 9, shows that Old Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 330 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 11 probable cases, making a TOTAL of 341 cases.

This represents an NO CHANGE in the cumulative number of confirmed or probable cases compared with those reported the previous day.

The total number of Old Lyme residents tested is 5,226, an increase of 24 over the previous day’s number of 5,202.

Two-Week New Case Rates Zones: Old Lyme in Yellow, Lyme in Gray

The report issued Monday, May 10, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) for the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks shows another major improvement for the state as whole with the number of towns remaining in the Red Zone (indicating the highest COVID-19 new case rates) falling to 54 from last week’s number of 97.

During a news conference held Thursday, May 6, Gov. Ned Lamont attributed the decrease in infections to the continuing roll-out of the coronavirus vaccine.

Both Lyme and Old Lyme remain in the zones in which they were placed last week with Old Lyme still in the Yellow (second lowest new case rate) Zone while Lyme remains in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone.

Old Lyme is now one of the 31 towns in the Yellow Zone. Last week, there were 18 towns in this Zone, so this is encouraging news as more towns fall out of the Orange (second highest) Zone.

Lyme is in the Gray Zone for two-week new case rates, recording an eighth straight week in the lowest zone. Twenty-two towns were in this zone last week and, in more good news, this number has increased to 29 this week.

In both cases, the increased total in each Zone reflects a decreased new case rate. (Four zones are specified by the CT DPH — see details below.)

Overall, the number of towns in each zone is shown below with the previous week’s number in parentheses:

  • 29 (22) towns are now in the (lowest case rate) Gray Zone
  • 31 (18) are in the (lowest but one) Yellow Zone
  • 55 (32) are in the (second highest case rate) Orange Zone.

All the remaining 54 towns are in the Red Zone — last week’s number was 97.

Lyme joins 21 other towns in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone: Andover, Bozrah, Bridgewater, Canaan, Chaplin, Chester, Colebrook, Cornwall, Deep River, East Granby, Essex, Franklin, Hampton, Kent, Lisbon, Lyme, Middlefield, Norfolk, Pomfret, Roxbury, Salisbury, Scotland, Sharon, Union, Warren, Washington, Weston, Westport and Willington.

Old Lyme joins 30 other towns in the Yellow (second lowest rate) Zone: Avon, Brooklyn, Clinton, Colchester, Columbia, Darien, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, East Lyme, Easton, Glastonbury, Granby, Griswold, Killingworth, Ledyard, Marlborough, New Fairfield, New Hartford, Newington, Portland, Preston, Rocky Hill, Somers, Southbury, Stonington, Tolland, West Hartford, Woodbridge and Woodbury

The Orange (second highest rate) Zone now has 55 towns : Ashford, Beacon Falls, Berlin, Bethany, Bethel, Bethlehem, Bloomfield, Bolton, Branford, Brookfield, Canterbury, Canton, Cheshire, Coventry, Danbury, Ellington, Fairfield, Farmington, Goshen, Greenwich, Groton, Guilford, Haddam, Harwinton, Lebanon, Litchfield, Madison, Mansfield, Montville, New Canaan, New Milford, North Canaan, North Haven, North Stonington, Old Saybrook, Oxford, Redding, Ridgefield, Salem, Simsbury, South Windsor, Sprague, Stafford, Suffield, Thompson, Vernon, Voluntown, Waterford, Westbrook, Wethersfield, Wilton, Winchester, Windsor, Windsor Locks and Woodstock.

  • The Gray category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is less than five or less than five reported cases.
  • The Yellow category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is between five and nine reported cases.
  • The Orange category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is between 10 and 14.
  • The Red category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town exceeds 15.

In all cases, this rate does not include cases or tests among residents of nursing home, assisted living, or correctional facilities.

This report is issued daily, but only updated weekly on Thursdays. The most recent report was updated Thursday, May 6; the next updated report will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, May 13.

More Detail on Two-Week Case Rates: Old Lyme Down, Lyme Up

LLHD Director of Health Stephen Mansfield

On Thursday, May 6, Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) also issued their latest weekly report of COVID data for the municipalities within their District.

Ledge Light Director of Health Stephen Mansfield prefaces the report with the comment, “Although the number of new cases remain relatively stable, our contact tracers continue to report clusters, especially those associated with social gatherings and sporting events.”

He stresses, however, “Although we are making great strides with our COVID vaccination program, it is still imperative that we remain diligent in our mitigation strategies.”

The latest Average Daily Case Rate announced Thursday, May 6, (from 4/18 to 5/01) have stayed constant in Old Lyme but decreased in Lyme.

The two-week case rates are as follows:

  • Old Lyme from 9.7 to 9.7
  • Lyme from 9.2 to 6.1

The same report shows that the case numbers in Week 1 and Week 2 respectively and recorded for the period 4/18 to 5/01  (compared with the previous two-week case rate shown in parentheses) are as follows:

  • Lyme had 2 (1) case in Week 1 and 0 (2) in Week 2
  • Old Lyme had 7 (3) cases in Week 1 and 3 (7) in Week 2

This data was updated May 6. The next Ledge Light Weekly Data Report for its District will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, May 13.

Vaccination Rates

Lyme is ahead of Old Lyme in terms of the percentage of its total population that have received a first dose, with 74.65 (72.06) percent vaccinated compared with 65.56 (63.89) percent in Old Lyme. The previous week’s percentages are shown in parentheses.

The percentages for both towns for the age cohort 65+ are very encouraging with Lyme now having 100 percent of seniors 65 and above fully vaccinated while 97.69 (92.85) percent of the same age cohort are fully vaccinated in Old Lyme.

The percentages for the age cohort 45-64, however, show the numbers reversing with Old Lyme having 57.66 percent fully vaccinated marginally ahead of Lyme at 53.91 percent.

Regarding the age 15-44 cohort, Lyme comes back into the lead again with 37.71 percent fully vaccinated while Old Lyme stands at 33.99 percent.

The state changed its reporting format for vaccination rates on April 15 and their new data does not align precisely with the former data. The detailed data below was partly updated April 29. One change is that the state is now reporting 65 and above as one group, whereas it was previously split into 65-74 and 75 and above. We will present new vaccination rate tables shortly.

Old Lyme
Total population:  7,306
Estimated population age 65-74:  1,067
Estimated population age 75 and above:  794

DateTotal pop. 1st dose given1st dose given as % of total pop. 1st dose given age 65-741st dose given as % of age 65-74 pop. 1st dose given age 75 & above1st dose given as % of age 75 & above pop.
3/12,11528.95%83578%73092%
3/82,62635,94%94588.57%76496.22%
3/153,07042.02%1,02796.25%797100.38%
3/243,24144.36%99893.53%75394.84%
3/313,55348.63%1,00193.81%75595.09%
4/74,17057.08%1,078101.08%76396.1%
4/154,80665.78%1,104103.47%77597.61%
4/294,66863.89%

Lyme
Total population:  2,316
Estimated population age 65-74:  372
Estimated population age 75 and above:  274

DateTotal pop. 1st dose gven1st dose given as % of total population 1st dose given age 65-741st dose given as % of age 65-74 pop.1st dose given age 75 & above1st dose given as a % of age 75 & above pop.
3/160526.12%24466%22281%
3/876733.12%28175.54%22983.58%
3/1580134.59%26972.31%20675.18%
3/241,13549.01%36297.31%279101.82%
3/311,25954.36%372100.00%289105.47%
4/71,51065.2%414111.29%295107.66%
4/151,73975.09%430115.59%298108.76%
4/291,66972.06%

Three Fatalities in Old Lyme Since Pandemic Began, None in Lyme

According to the report mentioned above, there have now been THREE fatalities in Old Lyme. Asked Tuesday, Feb. 9, for details of this third fatality, Ledge Light Health Department Director of Health Stephen Mansfield responded, “We have not been notified of any recent deaths in Old Lyme. Keep in mind that that report is compiled by the Connecticut Department of Public Health; deaths are not reportable to local health districts.”

He added, “I can’t speak for their data sources.”

The two fatalities from Old Lyme previously reported in 2020 were a 61-year-old female and an 82-year-old male.

No fatalities have been reported in Lyme.

Connecticut Hospital Occupancy

At the request of several readers, we have added a new report showing the respective rates of hospital occupancy at local hospitals. The data for this report is obtained from the Connecticut Hospital Occupancy Report published weekly by the CT DPH and extracted from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) facility-level data for hospital utilization aggregated on a weekly basis (Friday to Thursday).

The most recent report is dated Feb. 19 and covers the two-week period from 2/12 to 2/18. No subsequent updates have been issued.

Hospital Name% Adult In-patient Occupancy % Adult ICU Occupancy
Data from 1/8 - 1/14
Backus84.424.2
Lawrence & Memorial90.891.4
Middlesex78.289.9
Yale-New Haven87.982.6
Statewide80.860.9
Data from 1/15 - 1/21
Backus83.224.2
Lawrence & Memorial84.090.7
Middlesex83.388.7
Yale-New Haven91.487.9
Statewide79.960.8
Data from1/22 - 1/29
Backus66.10.0
Lawrence & Memorial90.690.0
Middlesex77.286.3
Yale-New Haven84.425.8
Statewide81.262.3
Data from1/29 - 2/5
Backus8622
Lawrence & Memorial8893
Middlesex6661
Yale-New Haven9189
Statewide79.360.7
Data from 2/1 - 2/11
Backus83.822.2
L & M87.687.9
Middlesex68.881.5
Yale-New Haven91.788.3
Statewide80.261.0
Data from 2/12 - 2/18
Backus79.122.4
L & M84.182.1
Middlesex74.488.1
Yale-New Haven90.883.6
Statewide77.959.8

Editor’s Note: The state issues a COVID-19 metric report daily around 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, which includes current data up to the previous evening. In light of the ongoing rise in Coronavirus cases, we publish a new weekday update reporting confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Lyme and Old Lyme. 

Filed Under: COVID-19, Lyme, Old Lyme, Top Story

May 7 COVID-19 Update: One New Case in Old Lyme Takes Cumulative Total to 341, Lyme Holds at 106

May 10, 2021 by Leave a Comment

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

LYME/OLD LYME —The Daily Data Report for Connecticut issued Friday, May 7, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health(CT-DPH) for data as at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, May 6, shows that Old Lyme increased by one new COVID-19 case since the previous day to 341 while Lyme held at its previous day’s cumulative total of 106.

These Daily Reports are not issued by CT DPH on Saturdays or Sundays and therefore Monday’s data includes new cases from both weekend days. The next new report will be issued in the afternoon of Monday, May 10.

Old Lyme – Cumulative Cases Up One

The May 7 Daily Data Report for Connecticut for data as at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, May 6, shows that Old Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 330 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 11 probable cases, making a TOTAL of 341 cases.

This represents an INCREASE of ONE in the cumulative number of confirmed cases and NO CHANGE in the number of probable cases compared with those reported the previous day.

The total number of Old Lyme residents tested is 5,202, an increase of nine over the previous day’s number of 5,193.

Lyme – No Change in Cumulative Cases 

Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 98 confirmed cases and 8 probable cases, making a TOTAL of 106 cases.

This represents NO CHANGE in the cumulative number of confirmed or probable cases compared with those reported the previous day, and represents the third consecutive reporting day with this number.

The total number of Lyme residents tested is 1,397, which represents an increase of two over the previous day’s number of 1,397.

Two-Week New Case Rates Zones: Old Lyme in Yellow, Lyme in Gray

The report issued Thursday, May 6, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) for the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks shows another major improvement for the state as whole with the number of towns remaining in the Red Zone (indicating the highest COVID-19 new case rates) falling to 54 from last week’s number of 97.

During a news conference held Thursday, May 6, Gov. Ned Lamont attributed the decrease in infections to the continuing roll-out of the coronavirus vaccine.

Both Lyme and Old Lyme remain in the zones in which they were placed last week with Old Lyme still in the Yellow (second lowest new case rate) Zone while Lyme remains in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone.

Old Lyme is now one of the 31 towns in the Yellow Zone. Last week, there were 18 towns in this Zone, so this is encouraging news as more towns fall out of the Orange (second highest) Zone.

Lyme is in the Gray Zone for two-week new case rates, recording an eighth straight week in the lowest zone. Twenty-two towns were in this zone last week and, in more good news, this number has increased to 29 this week.

In both cases, the increased total in each Zone reflects a decreased new case rate. (Four zones are specified by the CT DPH — see details below.)

Overall, the number of towns in each zone is shown below with the previous week’s number in parentheses:

  • 29 (22) towns are now in the (lowest case rate) Gray Zone
  • 31 (18) are in the (lowest but one) Yellow Zone
  • 55 (32) are in the (second highest case rate) Orange Zone.

All the remaining 54 towns are in the Red Zone — last week’s number was 97.

Lyme joins 21 other towns in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone: Andover, Bozrah, Bridgewater, Canaan, Chaplin, Chester, Colebrook, Cornwall, Deep River, East Granby, Essex, Franklin, Hampton, Kent, Lisbon, Lyme, Middlefield, Norfolk, Pomfret, Roxbury, Salisbury, Scotland, Sharon, Union, Warren, Washington, Weston, Westport and Willington.

Old Lyme joins 30 other towns in the Yellow (second lowest rate) Zone: Avon, Brooklyn, Clinton, Colchester, Columbia, Darien, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, East Lyme, Easton, Glastonbury, Granby, Griswold, Killingworth, Ledyard, Marlborough, New Fairfield, New Hartford, Newington, Portland, Preston, Rocky Hill, Somers, Southbury, Stonington, Tolland, West Hartford, Woodbridge and Woodbury

The Orange (second highest rate) Zone now has 55 towns : Ashford, Beacon Falls, Berlin, Bethany, Bethel, Bethlehem, Bloomfield, Bolton, Branford, Brookfield, Canterbury, Canton, Cheshire, Coventry, Danbury, Ellington, Fairfield, Farmington, Goshen, Greenwich, Groton, Guilford, Haddam, Harwinton, Lebanon, Litchfield, Madison, Mansfield, Montville, New Canaan, New Milford, North Canaan, North Haven, North Stonington, Old Saybrook, Oxford, Redding, Ridgefield, Salem, Simsbury, South Windsor, Sprague, Stafford, Suffield, Thompson, Vernon, Voluntown, Waterford, Westbrook, Wethersfield, Wilton, Winchester, Windsor, Windsor Locks and Woodstock.

  • The Gray category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is less than five or less than five reported cases.
  • The Yellow category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is between five and nine reported cases.
  • The Orange category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is between 10 and 14.
  • The Red category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town exceeds 15.

In all cases, this rate does not include cases or tests among residents of nursing home, assisted living, or correctional facilities.

This report is issued daily, but only updated weekly on Thursdays. The most recent report was updated Thursday, May 6; the next updated report will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, May 13.

More Detail on Two-Week Case Rates: Old Lyme Down, Lyme Up

LLHD Director of Health Stephen Mansfield

On Thursday, May 6, Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) also issued their latest weekly report of COVID data for the municipalities within their District.

Ledge Light Director of Health Stephen Mansfield prefaces the report with the comment, “Although the number of new cases remain relatively stable, our contact tracers continue to report clusters, especially those associated with social gatherings and sporting events.”

He stresses, however, “Although we are making great strides with our COVID vaccination program, it is still imperative that we remain diligent in our mitigation strategies.”

The latest Average Daily Case Rate announced Thursday, May 6, (from 4/18 to 5/01) have stayed constant in Old Lyme but decreased in Lyme.

The two-week case rates are as follows:

  • Old Lyme from 9.7 to 9.7
  • Lyme from 9.2 to 6.1

The same report shows that the case numbers in Week 1 and Week 2 respectively and recorded for the period 4/18 to 5/01  (compared with the previous two-week case rate shown in parentheses) are as follows:

  • Lyme had 2 (1) case in Week 1 and 0 (2) in Week 2
  • Old Lyme had 7 (3) cases in Week 1 and 3 (7) in Week 2

This data was updated May 6. The next Ledge Light Weekly Data Report for its District will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, May 13.

Vaccination Rates

Lyme is ahead of Old Lyme in terms of the percentage of its total population that have received a first dose, with 74.65 (72.06) percent vaccinated compared with 65.56 (63.89) percent in Old Lyme. The previous week’s percentages are shown in parentheses.

The percentages for both towns for the age cohort 65+ are very encouraging with Lyme now having 100 percent of seniors 65 and above fully vaccinated while 97.69 (92.85) percent of the same age cohort are fully vaccinated in Old Lyme.

The percentages for the age cohort 45-64, however, show the numbers reversing with Old Lyme having 57.66 percent fully vaccinated marginally ahead of Lyme at 53.91 percent.

Regarding the age 15-44 cohort, Lyme comes back into the lead again with 37.71 percent fully vaccinated while Old Lyme stands at 33.99 percent.

The state changed its reporting format for vaccination rates on April 15 and their new data does not align precisely with the former data. The detailed data below was partly updated April 29. One change is that the state is now reporting 65 and above as one group, whereas it was previously split into 65-74 and 75 and above. We will present new vaccination rate tables shortly.

Old Lyme
Total population:  7,306
Estimated population age 65-74:  1,067
Estimated population age 75 and above:  794

DateTotal pop. 1st dose given1st dose given as % of total pop. 1st dose given age 65-741st dose given as % of age 65-74 pop. 1st dose given age 75 & above1st dose given as % of age 75 & above pop.
3/12,11528.95%83578%73092%
3/82,62635,94%94588.57%76496.22%
3/153,07042.02%1,02796.25%797100.38%
3/243,24144.36%99893.53%75394.84%
3/313,55348.63%1,00193.81%75595.09%
4/74,17057.08%1,078101.08%76396.1%
4/154,80665.78%1,104103.47%77597.61%
4/294,66863.89%

Lyme
Total population:  2,316
Estimated population age 65-74:  372
Estimated population age 75 and above:  274

DateTotal pop. 1st dose gven1st dose given as % of total population 1st dose given age 65-741st dose given as % of age 65-74 pop.1st dose given age 75 & above1st dose given as a % of age 75 & above pop.
3/160526.12%24466%22281%
3/876733.12%28175.54%22983.58%
3/1580134.59%26972.31%20675.18%
3/241,13549.01%36297.31%279101.82%
3/311,25954.36%372100.00%289105.47%
4/71,51065.2%414111.29%295107.66%
4/151,73975.09%430115.59%298108.76%
4/291,66972.06%

Three Fatalities in Old Lyme Since Pandemic Began, None in Lyme

According to the report mentioned above, there have now been THREE fatalities in Old Lyme. Asked Tuesday, Feb. 9, for details of this third fatality, Ledge Light Health Department Director of Health Stephen Mansfield responded, “We have not been notified of any recent deaths in Old Lyme. Keep in mind that that report is compiled by the Connecticut Department of Public Health; deaths are not reportable to local health districts.”

He added, “I can’t speak for their data sources.”

The two fatalities from Old Lyme previously reported in 2020 were a 61-year-old female and an 82-year-old male.

No fatalities have been reported in Lyme.

Connecticut Hospital Occupancy

At the request of several readers, we have added a new report showing the respective rates of hospital occupancy at local hospitals. The data for this report is obtained from the Connecticut Hospital Occupancy Report published weekly by the CT DPH and extracted from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) facility-level data for hospital utilization aggregated on a weekly basis (Friday to Thursday).

The most recent report is dated Feb. 19 and covers the two-week period from 2/12 to 2/18. No subsequent updates have been issued.

Hospital Name% Adult In-patient Occupancy % Adult ICU Occupancy
Data from 1/8 - 1/14
Backus84.424.2
Lawrence & Memorial90.891.4
Middlesex78.289.9
Yale-New Haven87.982.6
Statewide80.860.9
Data from 1/15 - 1/21
Backus83.224.2
Lawrence & Memorial84.090.7
Middlesex83.388.7
Yale-New Haven91.487.9
Statewide79.960.8
Data from1/22 - 1/29
Backus66.10.0
Lawrence & Memorial90.690.0
Middlesex77.286.3
Yale-New Haven84.425.8
Statewide81.262.3
Data from1/29 - 2/5
Backus8622
Lawrence & Memorial8893
Middlesex6661
Yale-New Haven9189
Statewide79.360.7
Data from 2/1 - 2/11
Backus83.822.2
L & M87.687.9
Middlesex68.881.5
Yale-New Haven91.788.3
Statewide80.261.0
Data from 2/12 - 2/18
Backus79.122.4
L & M84.182.1
Middlesex74.488.1
Yale-New Haven90.883.6
Statewide77.959.8

Editor’s Note: The state issues a COVID-19 metric report daily around 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, which includes current data up to the previous evening. In light of the ongoing rise in Coronavirus cases, we publish a new weekday update reporting confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Lyme and Old Lyme. 

Filed Under: COVID-19, Lyme, News, Old Lyme

35th Youth Art Show Opens at Lyme Academy

May 8, 2021 by Leave a Comment

This unnamed work by seventh grader Madeleine Trepanier is featured in the Youth Art Show on view Saturdays at Lyme Academy of Fine Art.

OLD LYME — The 35th Youth Art Show opens this year, Saturday, May 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Sill House Gallery at Lyme Academy of Fine Arts located at 84 Lyme Street.

The show will be open again for the same time period on Saturdays, May 15 and 22. There will be no weekday viewing opportunities.

All are welcome and admission is free.

There is no Opening Reception this year due to the COVID-19 situation. Masks must be worn when visiting the gallery and social distancing practiced.

The show, which celebrates the creativity of Lyme and Old Lyme youth, is the result of a 35-year collaboration between Lyme Academy of Fine Arts, Lyme-Old Lyme Schools and Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau.

Featuring work by more than 100 students in Lyme-Old Lyme Schools from Grade 6 through Grade 12, the show includes many pieces that have recently won impressive awards in state and local competitions.

For more information, contact Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau at 860-434-7208 or visit www.lysb.org

Filed Under: Arts, Lyme, News, Old Lyme

Lyme Grange Hosts Plant Sale Today

May 8, 2021 by Leave a Comment

LYME — On Saturday, May 8, the Lyme Grange hosts a Plant Sale from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Grange sited on the corner of Sterling City Rd, and Rte. 156 in Lyme.

A great selection of perennials and annuals will be offered for sale.

All proceeds benefit the work of the Grange.

 

Filed Under: Lyme

Letter to the Editor: Turnout for LOL School Budget May Have Been Low, But Canceling In-Person Voting is Start of ‘Slippery Slope’

May 7, 2021 by Leave a Comment

To the Editor:

We applaud the overwhelming support for the Lyme-Old Lyme Schools proposed 2021-22 budget at the May 4th referendum. Unfortunately, turnout was only about 5 percent.

We realize that there was some expectation of both approval and low turnout; and, as such, at least one elected official recommended that the in-person vote be canceled, and just allow the BOE to approve the school budget.

Doing so creates a very “slippery slope”, whereupon we have set a precedent that enables future cancellation of referenda when “we all know what the outcome will be, anyways”.

We are in an era of American history when well-meaning politicians are implementing some “Orwellian” changes in voter rules and procedures in an effort to improve voter “integrity”, a problem that doesn’t really seem to exist in the United States as a whole, and was largely disproven, after the 2016 election, via numerous recounts; and repeated decisions in the courts. Even the threat to “release the Kraken” had no impact.

Like beauty, voter fraud exists only in the eye of the beholder, which, in this case, was the losing political party, who has not yet put the specious issue behind them.

Sincerely,

Christina J. Gotowka,
Thomas D. Gotowka,
Old Lyme.

Filed Under: Letters, Lyme, News, Old Lyme

May 6 COVID-19 Update: Case Rates Fall Statewide; Lyme, Old Lyme Stay in Same Lower Rate Zones; No Change in Daily Cumulative Case Counts in Either Town

May 7, 2021 by Leave a Comment

This map, updated April 29, shows the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks. The Town of Old Lyme is now in the Yellow (second lowest) Zone, while Lyme stays in the (lowest) Gray Zone. (Only cases among persons living in community settings are included in this map; the map does not include cases among people who reside in nursing home, assisted living, or correctional facilities.) Map: Ver 12.1.2020 Source: CT Department of Public Health Get the data Created with Datawrapper

LYME/OLD LYME — The report issued Thursday, May 6, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) for the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks shows another major improvement for the state as whole with the number of towns remaining in the Red Zone (indicating the highest COVID-19 new case rates) falling to 54 from last week’s number of 97.

During a news conference held Thursday, May 6, Gov. Ned Lamont attributed the decrease in infections to the continuing roll-out of the coronavirus vaccine.

Both Lyme and Old Lyme remain in the zones in which they were placed last week with Old Lyme still in the Yellow (second lowest new case rate) Zone while Lyme remains in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone.

Old Lyme is now one of the 31 towns in the Yellow Zone. Last week, there were 18 towns in this Zone, so this is encouraging news as more towns fall out of the Orange (second highest) Zone.

Lyme is in the Gray Zone for two-week new case rates, recording an eighth straight week in the lowest zone. Twenty-two towns were in this zone last week and, in more good news, this number has increased to 29 this week.

In both cases, the increased total in each Zone reflects a decreased new case rate. (Four zones are specified by the CT DPH — see details below.)

Overall, the number of towns in each zone is shown below with the previous week’s number in parentheses:

  • 29 (22) towns are now in the (lowest case rate) Gray Zone
  • 31 (18) are in the (lowest but one) Yellow Zone
  • 55 (32) are in the (second highest case rate) Orange Zone.

All the remaining 54 towns are in the Red Zone — last week’s number was 97.

Lyme joins 21 other towns in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone: Andover, Bozrah, Bridgewater, Canaan, Chaplin, Chester, Colebrook, Cornwall, Deep River, East Granby, Essex, Franklin, Hampton, Kent, Lisbon, Lyme, Middlefield, Norfolk, Pomfret, Roxbury, Salisbury, Scotland, Sharon, Union, Warren, Washington, Weston, Westport and Willington.

Old Lyme joins 30 other towns in the Yellow (second lowest rate) Zone: Avon, Brooklyn, Clinton, Colchester, Columbia, Darien, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, East Lyme, Easton, Glastonbury, Granby, Griswold, Killingworth, Ledyard, Marlborough, New Fairfield, New Hartford, Newington, Portland, Preston, Rocky Hill, Somers, Southbury, Stonington, Tolland, West Hartford, Woodbridge and Woodbury

The Orange (second highest rate) Zone now has 55 towns : Ashford, Beacon Falls, Berlin, Bethany, Bethel, Bethlehem, Bloomfield, Bolton, Branford, Brookfield, Canterbury, Canton, Cheshire, Coventry, Danbury, Ellington, Fairfield, Farmington, Goshen, Greenwich, Groton, Guilford, Haddam, Harwinton, Lebanon, Litchfield, Madison, Mansfield, Montville, New Canaan, New Milford, North Canaan, North Haven, North Stonington, Old Saybrook, Oxford, Redding, Ridgefield, Salem, Simsbury, South Windsor, Sprague, Stafford, Suffield, Thompson, Vernon, Voluntown, Waterford, Westbrook, Wethersfield, Wilton, Winchester, Windsor, Windsor Locks and Woodstock.

  • The Gray category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is less than five or less than five reported cases.
  • The Yellow category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is between five and nine reported cases.
  • The Orange category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is between 10 and 14.
  • The Red category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town exceeds 15.

In all cases, this rate does not include cases or tests among residents of nursing home, assisted living, or correctional facilities.

This report is issued daily, but only updated weekly on Thursdays. The most recent report was updated Thursday, May 6; the next updated report will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, May 13.

More Detail on Two-Week Case Rates: Old Lyme Down, Lyme Up

LLHD Director of Health Stephen Mansfield

On Thursday, May 6, Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) also issued their latest weekly report of COVID data for the municipalities within their District.

Ledge Light Director of Health Stephen Mansfield prefaces the report with the comment, “Although the number of new cases remain relatively stable, our contact tracers continue to report clusters, especially those associated with social gatherings and sporting events.”

He stresses, however, “Although we are making great strides with our COVID vaccination program, it is still imperative that we remain diligent in our mitigation strategies.”

The latest Average Daily Case Rate announced Thursday, May 6, (from 4/18 to 5/01) have stayed constant in Old Lyme but decreased in Lyme.

The two-week case rates are as follows:

  • Old Lyme from 9.7 to 9.7
  • Lyme from 9.2 to 6.1

The same report shows that the case numbers in Week 1 and Week 2 respectively and recorded for the period 4/18 to 5/01  (compared with the previous two-week case rate shown in parentheses) are as follows:

  • Lyme had 2 (1) case in Week 1 and 0 (2) in Week 2
  • Old Lyme had 7 (3) cases in Week 1 and 3 (7) in Week 2

This data was updated May 6. The next Ledge Light Weekly Data Report for its District will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, May 13.

Old Lyme – No Change in Cumulative Cases

The May 6 Daily Data Report for Connecticut for data as at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 4, shows that Old Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 329 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 11 probable cases, making a TOTAL of 340 cases.

This represents an NO CHANGE in the cumulative number of confirmed or probable cases compared with those reported the previous day.

The total number of Old Lyme residents tested is 5,193, an increase of three over the previous day’s number of 5,190.

Lyme – No Change in Cumulative Cases 

Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 98 confirmed cases and 8 probable cases, making a TOTAL of 106 cases.

This represents NO CHANGE in the cumulative number of confirmed or probable cases compared with those reported the previous day, and represents the third consecutive reporting day with this number.

The total number of Lyme residents tested is 1,395, which represents no change over the previous day’s number.

Vaccination Rates

Lyme is ahead of Old Lyme in terms of the percentage of its total population that have received a first dose, with 74.65 (72.06) percent vaccinated compared with 65.56 (63.89) percent in Old Lyme. The previous week’s percentages are shown in parentheses.

The percentages for both towns for the age cohort 65+ are very encouraging with Lyme now having 100 percent of seniors 65 and above fully vaccinated while 97.69 (92.85) percent of the same age cohort are fully vaccinated in Old Lyme.

The percentages for the age cohort 45-64, however, show the numbers reversing with Old Lyme having 57.66 percent fully vaccinated marginally ahead of Lyme at 53.91 percent.

Regarding the age 15-44 cohort, Lyme comes back into the lead again with 37.71 percent fully vaccinated while Old Lyme stands at 33.99 percent.

The state changed its reporting format for vaccination rates on April 15 and their new data does not align precisely with the former data. The detailed data below was partly updated April 29. One change is that the state is now reporting 65 and above as one group, whereas it was previously split into 65-74 and 75 and above. We will present new vaccination rate tables shortly.

Old Lyme
Total population:  7,306
Estimated population age 65-74:  1,067
Estimated population age 75 and above:  794

DateTotal pop. 1st dose given1st dose given as % of total pop. 1st dose given age 65-741st dose given as % of age 65-74 pop. 1st dose given age 75 & above1st dose given as % of age 75 & above pop.
3/12,11528.95%83578%73092%
3/82,62635,94%94588.57%76496.22%
3/153,07042.02%1,02796.25%797100.38%
3/243,24144.36%99893.53%75394.84%
3/313,55348.63%1,00193.81%75595.09%
4/74,17057.08%1,078101.08%76396.1%
4/154,80665.78%1,104103.47%77597.61%
4/294,66863.89%

Lyme
Total population:  2,316
Estimated population age 65-74:  372
Estimated population age 75 and above:  274

DateTotal pop. 1st dose gven1st dose given as % of total population 1st dose given age 65-741st dose given as % of age 65-74 pop.1st dose given age 75 & above1st dose given as a % of age 75 & above pop.
3/160526.12%24466%22281%
3/876733.12%28175.54%22983.58%
3/1580134.59%26972.31%20675.18%
3/241,13549.01%36297.31%279101.82%
3/311,25954.36%372100.00%289105.47%
4/71,51065.2%414111.29%295107.66%
4/151,73975.09%430115.59%298108.76%
4/291,66972.06%

Three Fatalities in Old Lyme Since Pandemic Began, None in Lyme

According to the report mentioned above, there have now been THREE fatalities in Old Lyme. Asked Tuesday, Feb. 9, for details of this third fatality, Ledge Light Health Department Director of Health Stephen Mansfield responded, “We have not been notified of any recent deaths in Old Lyme. Keep in mind that that report is compiled by the Connecticut Department of Public Health; deaths are not reportable to local health districts.”

He added, “I can’t speak for their data sources.”

The two fatalities from Old Lyme previously reported in 2020 were a 61-year-old female and an 82-year-old male.

No fatalities have been reported in Lyme.

Connecticut Hospital Occupancy

At the request of several readers, we have added a new report showing the respective rates of hospital occupancy at local hospitals. The data for this report is obtained from the Connecticut Hospital Occupancy Report published weekly by the CT DPH and extracted from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) facility-level data for hospital utilization aggregated on a weekly basis (Friday to Thursday).

The most recent report is dated Feb. 19 and covers the two-week period from 2/12 to 2/18. No subsequent updates have been issued.

Hospital Name% Adult In-patient Occupancy % Adult ICU Occupancy
Data from 1/8 - 1/14
Backus84.424.2
Lawrence & Memorial90.891.4
Middlesex78.289.9
Yale-New Haven87.982.6
Statewide80.860.9
Data from 1/15 - 1/21
Backus83.224.2
Lawrence & Memorial84.090.7
Middlesex83.388.7
Yale-New Haven91.487.9
Statewide79.960.8
Data from1/22 - 1/29
Backus66.10.0
Lawrence & Memorial90.690.0
Middlesex77.286.3
Yale-New Haven84.425.8
Statewide81.262.3
Data from1/29 - 2/5
Backus8622
Lawrence & Memorial8893
Middlesex6661
Yale-New Haven9189
Statewide79.360.7
Data from 2/1 - 2/11
Backus83.822.2
L & M87.687.9
Middlesex68.881.5
Yale-New Haven91.788.3
Statewide80.261.0
Data from 2/12 - 2/18
Backus79.122.4
L & M84.182.1
Middlesex74.488.1
Yale-New Haven90.883.6
Statewide77.959.8

Editor’s Note: The state issues a COVID-19 metric report daily around 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, which includes current data up to the previous evening. In light of the ongoing rise in Coronavirus cases, we publish a new weekday update reporting confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Lyme and Old Lyme. 

Filed Under: COVID-19, Lyme, Old Lyme

Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Proposed Budget Passes Easily in Both Towns

May 7, 2021 by Leave a Comment

LYME/OLD LYME — UPDATED 5/7: The Lyme-Old Lyme Schools proposed $34.87 million budget for 2021-22 was approved by a wide margin of 273 votes Tuesday, with a combined total of 328 Lyme and Old Lyme residents voting for the budgets and only a total of 55 across both towns voting against it.

The percentage of total voters supporting the budget was 85.6 and the number rejecting it was 14.4 percent.

Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser commented to LymeLine in an electronic message after the result had been announced, “Thank you to the Lyme and Old Lyme communities for their ongoing support of our schools. We could not achieve the level of success that we have without the support of our communities.”

He added, “Support for this budget will allow us to continue providing a top-notch education to the students of Lyme and Old Lyme.”

The results by town were as follows:
Old Lyme
For: 249
Against: 50

Lyme
For: 79
Against: 5

The town numbers above reflect voter turnout in Old Lyme at 4.99 percent based on a total number of 5,992 registered voters, while in Lyme the equivalent percentage was 4.24 based on 1,979 voters.

Filed Under: Lyme, News, Old Lyme, Schools, Town Hall

Drive-Thru Vaccination Clinic in Old Saybrook This Afternoon; No Appointment Required

May 6, 2021 by Leave a Comment

Photo of COVID-19 vials by Daniel Schludi on Unsplash.

OLD SAYBROOK — Still not vaccinated against COVID-19?

Help achieve immunity in the community by going to a drive-through vaccination clinic at Old Saybrook Middle School (OSMS), Thursday, May 6, from 3:30 to 8 p.m. You will not need to exit your car to receive the vaccine.

No appointment is required and you can choose which vaccine to receive: Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson.

You can even choose which snack to enjoy — a hot dog or a hamburger!

The OSMS is located at 60 Sheffield St., Old Saybrook.

 

Filed Under: Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook

May 5 COVID-19 Update: One New Case in Old Lyme Takes Cumulative Total to 340, Lyme Holds at 106

May 6, 2021 by Leave a Comment

Transmission electron microscopic image of an isolate from the first U.S. case of COVID-19. Photo courtesy of the CDC.

LYME/OLD LYME — The Daily Data Report for Connecticut issued Wednesday, May 5, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health(CT-DPH) for data as at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 4, shows that Old Lyme increased by one new COVID-19 case since the previous day to 340 while Lyme held at its previous day’s cumulative total of 106.

The next new report will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, May 6.

Old Lyme – Cumulative Cases Up One

The May 4 Daily Data Report for Connecticut for data as at 8:30 p.m. Monday, May 3, shows that Old Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 329 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 11 probable cases, making a TOTAL of 340 cases.

This represents an INCREASE of ONE in the cumulative number of confirmed cases and NO CHANGE in the number of probable cases compared with those reported the previous day.

The total number of Old Lyme residents tested is 5,190, an increase of seven over the previous day’s number of 5,183.

Lyme – No Change in Cumulative Cases 

Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 98 confirmed cases and 8 probable cases, making a TOTAL of 106 cases.

This represents an NO CHANGE in the cumulative number of confirmed or probable cases compared with those reported the previous day.

The total number of Lyme residents tested is 1,395, which represents an increase of two over the previous day’s number of 1,393.

Two-Week New Case Rates Place Old Lyme in Yellow (Second Lowest) Zone, Lyme in (Lowest) Gray

The report issued Wednesday, May 5, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) for the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks shows a significant improvement for the state as whole with the number of towns remaining in the Red Zone (indicating the highest COVID-19 new case rates) now less than 100 for the first time this year.

The number of towns in the state in the Red (highest) Zone for two-week new case rates has fallen from 112 last week to 97 this week. Old Lyme has moved down into the Yellow Zone reflecting  decreased new case rates while Lyme remains in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone.

Old Lyme is now one of the 18 towns in the Yellow (second lowest) Zone. Last week, there were 10 towns in this Zone so this is good news as more towns, including Old Lyme, fall out of the Orange (second highest) Zone.

Lyme is in the Gray Zone for two-week case rates, recording a seventh straight week in the lowest zone. Nineteen towns were in this zone last week and that number has increased to 22 this week. (Four zones are specified by the CT DPH — see details below.)

Overall, the number of towns in each zone is shown below with the previous week’s number in parentheses:

  • 22 (19) towns are now in the (lowest case rate) Gray Zone
  • 18 (10) are in the (lowest but one) Yellow Zone
  • 32 (27) are in the (second highest case rate) Orange Zone.

All the remaining 97 towns are in the Red Zone — last week’s number was 113.

Lyme joins 21 other towns in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone: Bozrah, Bridgewater, Canaan, Chaplin, Colebrook, Cornwall, Deep River, Franklin, Hampton, Hartland, Kent, Norfolk, Pomfret, Salisbury, Scotland, Sharon, Sprague, Union, Voluntown, Warren and Washington.

Old Lyme joins 17 other towns in the Yellow (second lowest rate) Zone: Brooklyn, Durham, East Granby, East Lyme, Essex, Ledyard, Montville, Newington, North Stonington, Salem, Somers, Stafford, Stonington, Suffield, Vernon, Weston and Willington.

The Orange (second highest rate) Zone now has 32 towns : Andover, Avon, Bolton, Burlington, Canterbury, Colchester, Columbia, Darien, East Hampton, Easton, Farmington, Glastonbury, Granby, Groton, Hebron, Lebanon, Lisbon, Mansfield, Marlborough, Middlefield, New Hartford, Plainfield, Portland, Ridgefield, Simsbury, South Windsor, Tolland, Waterford, West Hartford, Westport, Windsor Locks and Woodbridge.

  • The Gray category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is less than five or less than five reported cases.
  • The Yellow category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is between five and nine reported cases.
  • The Orange category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is between 10 and 14.
  • The Red category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town exceeds 15.

In all cases, this rate does not include cases or tests among residents of nursing home, assisted living, or correctional facilities.

This report is issued daily, but only updated weekly on Thursdays. The most recent report was updated Thursday, April 29; the next updated report will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, May 6.

Average Daily Case Rates: Old Lyme Down, Lyme Up

LLHD Director of Health Stephen Mansfield

On Thursday, April 29, Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) also issued their latest weekly report of COVID data for the municipalities within their District.

Ledge Light Director of Health Stephen Mansfield prefaces the report with the comment, “We are heartened to see a continued decrease in new cases throughout the District, with moderate decreases in the last two reporting periods. Our contact tracers continue to report clusters associated with daycares, schools, and workplaces, and transmissions linked to social gatherings and sporting events.”

He stresses, however, “Although we are making great strides with our COVID vaccination program, it is still imperative that we remain diligent in our mitigation strategies.”

The latest Average Daily Case Rates announced Thursday, April 29, (from 4/11 to 4/24) have decreased in Old Lyme but increased in Lyme. These case rates are as follows:

  • Old Lyme from 10.7 to 9.7
  • Lyme from 6.1 to 9.2

The same report shows that the case numbers in Week 1 and Week 2 respectively and recorded for the period 4/11 to 4/24  (compared with the previous two-week case rate shown in parentheses) are as follows:

  • Lyme had 1 (1) case in Week 1 and 2 (1) in Week 2
  • Old Lyme had 3 (8) cases in Week 1 and 7 (3) in Week 2

This data was updated April 29. The next Ledge Light Weekly Data Report for its District will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, May 6.

Vaccination Rates

At the request of several readers, we have started a section reflecting the status of community vaccination rates in Lyme and Old Lyme. The state changed its reporting format for vaccination rates on April 15 and their new data does not align precisely with the former data.

Lyme is ahead of Old Lyme in terms of the percentage of its total population that have received a first dose, with 72.06 percent vaccinated compared with 63.89 percent in Old Lyme.

The percentages for both towns for the age segment 65+ are very encouraging with Lyme now having 100 percent of seniors 65 and above fully vaccinated and 92.85 percent of the same age segment also fully vaccinated in Old Lyme.

The detailed data below was partly updated April 29, but we will add to it as we analyze the new format. One change is that the state is now reporting 65 and above as one group, whereas it was previously split into 65-74 and 75 and above.

Old Lyme
Total population:  7,306
Estimated population age 65-74:  1,067
Estimated population age 75 and above:  794

DateTotal pop. 1st dose given1st dose given as % of total pop. 1st dose given age 65-741st dose given as % of age 65-74 pop. 1st dose given age 75 & above1st dose given as % of age 75 & above pop.
3/12,11528.95%83578%73092%
3/82,62635,94%94588.57%76496.22%
3/153,07042.02%1,02796.25%797100.38%
3/243,24144.36%99893.53%75394.84%
3/313,55348.63%1,00193.81%75595.09%
4/74,17057.08%1,078101.08%76396.1%
4/154,80665.78%1,104103.47%77597.61%
4/294,66863.89%

Lyme
Total population:  2,316
Estimated population age 65-74:  372
Estimated population age 75 and above:  274

DateTotal pop. 1st dose gven1st dose given as % of total population 1st dose given age 65-741st dose given as % of age 65-74 pop.1st dose given age 75 & above1st dose given as a % of age 75 & above pop.
3/160526.12%24466%22281%
3/876733.12%28175.54%22983.58%
3/1580134.59%26972.31%20675.18%
3/241,13549.01%36297.31%279101.82%
3/311,25954.36%372100.00%289105.47%
4/71,51065.2%414111.29%295107.66%
4/151,73975.09%430115.59%298108.76%
4/291,66972.06%

Three Fatalities in Old Lyme Since Pandemic Began, None in Lyme

According to the report mentioned above, there have now been THREE fatalities in Old Lyme. Asked Tuesday, Feb. 9, for details of this third fatality, Ledge Light Health Department Director of Health Stephen Mansfield responded, “We have not been notified of any recent deaths in Old Lyme. Keep in mind that that report is compiled by the Connecticut Department of Public Health; deaths are not reportable to local health districts.”

He added, “I can’t speak for their data sources.”

The two fatalities from Old Lyme previously reported in 2020 were a 61-year-old female and an 82-year-old male.

No fatalities have been reported in Lyme.

Connecticut Hospital Occupancy

At the request of several readers, we have added a new report showing the respective rates of hospital occupancy at local hospitals. The data for this report is obtained from the Connecticut Hospital Occupancy Report published weekly by the CT DPH and extracted from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) facility-level data for hospital utilization aggregated on a weekly basis (Friday to Thursday).

The most recent report is dated Feb. 19 and covers the two-week period from 2/12 to 2/18. No subsequent updates have been issued.

Hospital Name% Adult In-patient Occupancy % Adult ICU Occupancy
Data from 1/8 - 1/14
Backus84.424.2
Lawrence & Memorial90.891.4
Middlesex78.289.9
Yale-New Haven87.982.6
Statewide80.860.9
Data from 1/15 - 1/21
Backus83.224.2
Lawrence & Memorial84.090.7
Middlesex83.388.7
Yale-New Haven91.487.9
Statewide79.960.8
Data from1/22 - 1/29
Backus66.10.0
Lawrence & Memorial90.690.0
Middlesex77.286.3
Yale-New Haven84.425.8
Statewide81.262.3
Data from1/29 - 2/5
Backus8622
Lawrence & Memorial8893
Middlesex6661
Yale-New Haven9189
Statewide79.360.7
Data from 2/1 - 2/11
Backus83.822.2
L & M87.687.9
Middlesex68.881.5
Yale-New Haven91.788.3
Statewide80.261.0
Data from 2/12 - 2/18
Backus79.122.4
L & M84.182.1
Middlesex74.488.1
Yale-New Haven90.883.6
Statewide77.959.8

Editor’s Note: The state issues a COVID-19 metric report daily around 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, which includes current data up to the previous evening. In light of the ongoing rise in Coronavirus cases, we publish a new weekday update reporting confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Lyme and Old Lyme. 

Filed Under: COVID-19, Lyme, Old Lyme

May 4 COVID-19 Update: One New Case in Each Town: Old Lyme Now at 339 Cumulative Cases, Lyme at 106

May 5, 2021 by Leave a Comment

LYME/OLD LYME — The Daily Data Report for Connecticut issued Tuesday, May 4, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health(CT-DPH) for data as at 8:30 p.m. Monday, May 3, shows that Old Lyme increased by one new case since the previous day to 339 and Lyme similarly increased by one new case to 106.

These Daily Reports are not issued by CT DPH on Saturdays or Sundays and therefore Monday’s data includes new cases from both weekend days. The next new report will be issued in the afternoon of Wednesday, May 5.

Old Lyme – Cumulative Cases Up One

The May 4 Daily Data Report for Connecticut for data as at 8:30 p.m. Monday, May 3, shows that Old Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 328 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 11 probable cases, making a TOTAL of 339 cases.

This represents an INCREASE of ONE in the cumulative number of confirmed cases and NO CHANGE in the number of probable cases compared with those reported the previous day.

The total number of Old Lyme residents tested is 5,183, an increase of three over the previous day’s number of 5,180.

Lyme – Cumulative Cases Up One

Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 98 confirmed cases and 8 probable cases, making a TOTAL of 106 cases.

This represents an INCREASE of ONE in the cumulative number of confirmed cases and NO CHANGE in the number of probable cases compared with those reported the previous day.

The total number of Lyme residents tested is 1,393, which represents an increase of two over the previous day’s number of 1,391.

Two-Week New Case Rates Place Old Lyme in Yellow (Second Lowest) Zone, Lyme in (Lowest) Gray

The report issued Tuesday, May 4, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) for the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks shows a significant improvement for the state as whole with the number of towns remaining in the Red Zone (indicating the highest COVID-19 new case rates) now less than 100 for the first time this year.

The number of towns in the state in the Red (highest) Zone for two-week new case rates has fallen from 112 last week to 97 this week. Old Lyme has moved down into the Yellow Zone reflecting  decreased new case rates while Lyme remains in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone.

Old Lyme is now one of the 18 towns in the Yellow (second lowest) Zone. Last week, there were 10 towns in this Zone so this is good news as more towns, including Old Lyme, fall out of the Orange (second highest) Zone.

Lyme is in the Gray Zone for two-week case rates, recording a seventh straight week in the lowest zone. Nineteen towns were in this zone last week and that number has increased to 22 this week. (Four zones are specified by the CT DPH — see details below.)

Overall, the number of towns in each zone is shown below with the previous week’s number in parentheses:

  • 22 (19) towns are now in the (lowest case rate) Gray Zone
  • 18 (10) are in the (lowest but one) Yellow Zone
  • 32 (27) are in the (second highest case rate) Orange Zone.

All the remaining 97 towns are in the Red Zone — last week’s number was 113.

Lyme joins 21 other towns in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone: Bozrah, Bridgewater, Canaan, Chaplin, Colebrook, Cornwall, Deep River, Franklin, Hampton, Hartland, Kent, Norfolk, Pomfret, Salisbury, Scotland, Sharon, Sprague, Union, Voluntown, Warren and Washington.

Old Lyme joins 17 other towns in the Yellow (second lowest rate) Zone: Brooklyn, Durham, East Granby, East Lyme, Essex, Ledyard, Montville, Newington, North Stonington, Salem, Somers, Stafford, Stonington, Suffield, Vernon, Weston and Willington.

The Orange (second highest rate) Zone now has 32 towns : Andover, Avon, Bolton, Burlington, Canterbury, Colchester, Columbia, Darien, East Hampton, Easton, Farmington, Glastonbury, Granby, Groton, Hebron, Lebanon, Lisbon, Mansfield, Marlborough, Middlefield, New Hartford, Plainfield, Portland, Ridgefield, Simsbury, South Windsor, Tolland, Waterford, West Hartford, Westport, Windsor Locks and Woodbridge.

  • The Gray category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is less than five or less than five reported cases.
  • The Yellow category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is between five and nine reported cases.
  • The Orange category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is between 10 and 14.
  • The Red category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town exceeds 15.

In all cases, this rate does not include cases or tests among residents of nursing home, assisted living, or correctional facilities.

This report is issued daily, but only updated weekly on Thursdays. The most recent report was updated Thursday, April 29; the next updated report will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, May 6.

Average Daily Case Rates: Old Lyme Down, Lyme Up

LLHD Director of Health Stephen Mansfield

On Thursday, April 29, Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) also issued their latest weekly report of COVID data for the municipalities within their District.

Ledge Light Director of Health Stephen Mansfield prefaces the report with the comment, “We are heartened to see a continued decrease in new cases throughout the District, with moderate decreases in the last two reporting periods. Our contact tracers continue to report clusters associated with daycares, schools, and workplaces, and transmissions linked to social gatherings and sporting events.”

He stresses, however, “Although we are making great strides with our COVID vaccination program, it is still imperative that we remain diligent in our mitigation strategies.”

The latest Average Daily Case Rates announced Thursday, April 29, (from 4/11 to 4/24) have decreased in Old Lyme but increased in Lyme. These case rates are as follows:

  • Old Lyme from 10.7 to 9.7
  • Lyme from 6.1 to 9.2

The same report shows that the case numbers in Week 1 and Week 2 respectively and recorded for the period 4/11 to 4/24  (compared with the previous two-week case rate shown in parentheses) are as follows:

  • Lyme had 1 (1) case in Week 1 and 2 (1) in Week 2
  • Old Lyme had 3 (8) cases in Week 1 and 7 (3) in Week 2

This data was updated April 29. The next Ledge Light Weekly Data Report for its District will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, May 6.

Vaccination Rates

At the request of several readers, we have started a section reflecting the status of community vaccination rates in Lyme and Old Lyme. The state changed its reporting format for vaccination rates on April 15 and their new data does not align precisely with the former data.

Lyme is ahead of Old Lyme in terms of the percentage of its total population that have received a first dose, with 72.06 percent vaccinated compared with 63.89 percent in Old Lyme.

The percentages for both towns for the age segment 65+ are very encouraging with Lyme now having 100 percent of seniors 65 and above fully vaccinated and 92.85 percent of the same age segment also fully vaccinated in Old Lyme.

The detailed data below was partly updated April 29, but we will add to it as we analyze the new format. One change is that the state is now reporting 65 and above as one group, whereas it was previously split into 65-74 and 75 and above.

Old Lyme
Total population:  7,306
Estimated population age 65-74:  1,067
Estimated population age 75 and above:  794

DateTotal pop. 1st dose given1st dose given as % of total pop. 1st dose given age 65-741st dose given as % of age 65-74 pop. 1st dose given age 75 & above1st dose given as % of age 75 & above pop.
3/12,11528.95%83578%73092%
3/82,62635,94%94588.57%76496.22%
3/153,07042.02%1,02796.25%797100.38%
3/243,24144.36%99893.53%75394.84%
3/313,55348.63%1,00193.81%75595.09%
4/74,17057.08%1,078101.08%76396.1%
4/154,80665.78%1,104103.47%77597.61%
4/294,66863.89%

Lyme
Total population:  2,316
Estimated population age 65-74:  372
Estimated population age 75 and above:  274

DateTotal pop. 1st dose gven1st dose given as % of total population 1st dose given age 65-741st dose given as % of age 65-74 pop.1st dose given age 75 & above1st dose given as a % of age 75 & above pop.
3/160526.12%24466%22281%
3/876733.12%28175.54%22983.58%
3/1580134.59%26972.31%20675.18%
3/241,13549.01%36297.31%279101.82%
3/311,25954.36%372100.00%289105.47%
4/71,51065.2%414111.29%295107.66%
4/151,73975.09%430115.59%298108.76%
4/291,66972.06%

Three Fatalities in Old Lyme Since Pandemic Began, None in Lyme

According to the report mentioned above, there have now been THREE fatalities in Old Lyme. Asked Tuesday, Feb. 9, for details of this third fatality, Ledge Light Health Department Director of Health Stephen Mansfield responded, “We have not been notified of any recent deaths in Old Lyme. Keep in mind that that report is compiled by the Connecticut Department of Public Health; deaths are not reportable to local health districts.”

He added, “I can’t speak for their data sources.”

The two fatalities from Old Lyme previously reported in 2020 were a 61-year-old female and an 82-year-old male.

No fatalities have been reported in Lyme.

Connecticut Hospital Occupancy

At the request of several readers, we have added a new report showing the respective rates of hospital occupancy at local hospitals. The data for this report is obtained from the Connecticut Hospital Occupancy Report published weekly by the CT DPH and extracted from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) facility-level data for hospital utilization aggregated on a weekly basis (Friday to Thursday).

The most recent report is dated Feb. 19 and covers the two-week period from 2/12 to 2/18. No subsequent updates have been issued.

Hospital Name% Adult In-patient Occupancy % Adult ICU Occupancy
Data from 1/8 - 1/14
Backus84.424.2
Lawrence & Memorial90.891.4
Middlesex78.289.9
Yale-New Haven87.982.6
Statewide80.860.9
Data from 1/15 - 1/21
Backus83.224.2
Lawrence & Memorial84.090.7
Middlesex83.388.7
Yale-New Haven91.487.9
Statewide79.960.8
Data from1/22 - 1/29
Backus66.10.0
Lawrence & Memorial90.690.0
Middlesex77.286.3
Yale-New Haven84.425.8
Statewide81.262.3
Data from1/29 - 2/5
Backus8622
Lawrence & Memorial8893
Middlesex6661
Yale-New Haven9189
Statewide79.360.7
Data from 2/1 - 2/11
Backus83.822.2
L & M87.687.9
Middlesex68.881.5
Yale-New Haven91.788.3
Statewide80.261.0
Data from 2/12 - 2/18
Backus79.122.4
L & M84.182.1
Middlesex74.488.1
Yale-New Haven90.883.6
Statewide77.959.8

Editor’s Note: The state issues a COVID-19 metric report daily around 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, which includes current data up to the previous evening. In light of the ongoing rise in Coronavirus cases, we publish a new weekday update reporting confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Lyme and Old Lyme. 

Filed Under: COVID-19, Lyme, Old Lyme

Op-Ed: Faculty, Staff at Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Deserve Cash Bonuses

May 5, 2021 by 2 Comments

Editor’s Note: This op-ed was submitted by William Fitzgerald of Old Lyme. 

In Old Lyme, we claim to value education. Now is the time for us to step up and show we mean it. The Board of Education recently put out a request to crowdsource gifts for teachers. While this gesture is well-intentioned, it’s not enough. Our school staff – every adult who worked in the building, from the custodial crew to maintenance to the kitchen staff to guidance counselors to admin assistants to tech staff to teachers and admins – stepped up under the most challenging conditions this country has seen in a generation. Their effort and care deserves cash bonuses.

Currently, the district site lists 306 people. Let’s assume, for the sake of overestimating, that the full number of people supporting our kids in the district is 350. Estimating high, paying each staff member a bonus of $1,000 would cost $350,000. A bonus of $2,000 per person is $700,000; and a bonus of $3,000 per person is just over a million dollars.

We have the money to do this. The current budget contains a little over 1.7 million dollars in unspent funds “returned” to Lyme and Old Lyme. Returning “unspent” money is an annual ritual; between 2017 and the current budget the district has refunded amounts ranging between $647,000 and $1.7 million (see footnote, below). This money is cash that has already been taxed from the townspeople, and allocated via budgets. The towns or the district could pay every staff member a $3,000 bonus and still leave $700,000 of that 1.7 million untouched.

If the school board wants to solicit matching donations from community members, the contributions could potentially be routed through the Lyme Old Lyme Education Foundation, where these community contributions could be a tax writeoff. This assumes that the LOLEF would be willing to serve in this role, but it seems a natural extension of their past work and aligned with their general mission.

Given what things have been like since March 2020, I can’t imagine that our school board and superintendent would want to do anything except show our school staff that they are appreciated via this one time cash bonus. Frequent objections to doing something different include that it’s too hard, or that there isn’t enough time, or that the politics of the budget process are too complicated.

However, our teachers, our admin staff, our custodians, our kitchen staff, our tech staff did not have the luxury of these excuses. Their work was unreasonably hard, and they did it. They did not have adequate time to plan for the continual shifts and disruptions caused by Covid – and they showed up and excelled. Our staff had to navigate the impacts of the political quagmire that marked our national response to Covid – and they showed up and made it happen, under circumstances that were and continue to be unreasonably difficult and complex. 

The commitment, professionalism, and follow through of our staff should be matched by this board, and the town selectmen.

In January, in the middle of the current pandemic, this school board committed nearly 2.5 million dollars for an artificial turf field. If we can afford millions for fake grass, we should be able to afford thousands for actual people.

Pay school staff a one time bonus for their work during the pandemic. We have the money, and they earned it.

Author’s footnotes:

School budgets listed on the Region 18 district website go back to the 2019-2020 budget, which allows us to see “returned” funds starting on 6/30/2017.

The budget overview pages are here:

Carry over funds from 2017 and 2018:

  • 6/30/2017 – $1,101,399
  • 06/30/2018 – $804,212

Carry over funds from 2019:

  • 06/30/2019  – $647,155

Carry over funds from 2020:

  • 06/30/20 – $1,725,886

The district has not yet released a projection of unspent funds for the current fiscal year ending 6/30/2021, but if past patterns hold there is potentially an additional $650,000 to $1.1 million dollars in play.

 

Filed Under: Lyme, News, Old Lyme, Op-Eds, Schools, Top Story

Lyme-Old Lyme HS Ranked 11th ‘Best High School’ in CT, 564th in US, by ‘U.S. News & World Report’  

May 4, 2021 by Leave a Comment

Lyme-Old Lyme High School has received high placements in US News & World Report’s 2021 ‘Best High Schools in America’ rankings.

LYME/OLD LYME — Lyme-Old Lyme High School (LOLHS) has again been recognized as a top-performing high school both statewide and nationally in the latest U.S. News & World Report ‘Best High Schools in America’ rankings.

More than 17,800 public high schools (traditional, charter, and magnet) were evaluated in the 2021 report and LOLHS came in at 11th place in the state of Connecticut and also gained 564th place in the country. Moreover, if solely traditional schools are considered, LOLHS takes ninth place in Connecticut, while notably, the majority of the ‘Top 10’ schools in the state are located in Fairfield County.

“This ranking is a reflection of our teachers, staff, and community and their commitment to developing and becoming skilled problem-solvers, effective communicators and contributing citizens,” said Lyme-Old Lyme Schools  Superintendent Ian Neviaser.

He added, “I commend all of our staff PK-12 for the leadership and dedication shown each and every day. Their work is reflected in this great honor.”

To determine the rankings, US News & World Report evaluates schools on six criteria: college readiness, reading and math proficiency, reading and math performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth and graduation rates. College readiness specifically measures participation and performance on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams.

Lyme-Old Lyme High School serves 450 students in grades 9 through 12 and is located in the historic district of Old Lyme, CT.

Editor’s Note: This article is based on a press release issued by Lyme-Old Lyme Schools.

Filed Under: Lyme, News, Old Lyme, Schools, Top Story

Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Hold Budget Referendum Today, Polls Open12-8pm; Griswold Urged BOE to ‘Skip Referendum’

May 4, 2021 by 4 Comments

LYME/OLD LYME — The Lyme-Old Lyme (LOL) Schools Board of Education (BOE) are holding a referendum today, Tuesday, May 4, on their proposed budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year. Voting will take place from 12 noon to 8 p.m. at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School for Old Lyme residents and Lyme Town Hall for Lyme residents.

Information on absentee ballot and voter information is available at the following links:

Members of the BOE voted at the Budget Meeting held Monday evening to move the public vote to approve the budget to an in-person referendum scheduled for the following day.

The proposed budget totals $34,874, 548 representing a 0.47 percent increase over the current year’s budget. When this total is combined with last year’s decrease of 1.06 percent, the total change over two years is -0.6 percent or $210,210.

This is the first time in many years that the polls will not open until 12 noon — traditionally voting in both towns begins at 6 a.m.

Old Lyme First Selectman Timothy Griswold (File photo)

Responding to a question from LymeLine questioning how this time change came about, Old Lyme First Selectman Timothy Griswold said by email, “I urged the School Board to vote the budget and skip the referendum because the budget is uncontroversial and actually has a slight decrease.”

He noted, however, “The School Board believes that it is more transparent to have an in person vote.”

Griswold went on to explain his viewpoint further, saying, “Old Lyme has about 400 voters (out of about 6,000) [who vote in the referendum, on average.] Usually, voting occurs during the hours of 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM or 14 hours. That translates to about 29 voters per hour in Old Lyme.”

He noted, “We need about 12 staff to run the polls so the Town would likely need about double that to run two shifts of about seven hours each.”

Adding, “Then, we need to have absentee ballots which means less in person voters.”

Griswold said, “In the end, we discovered this type of vote must be from noon to 8:00 PM or eight hours. Now we are up to about 50 voters per hour.”

“While the cost of running the voting in two towns is a School District expense,” Griswold pointed out, “the Towns fund the District so Old Lyme pays over 80% of the bill.”

In conclusion, he stated, “If the school budget were controversial, in person voting would make sense but this budget is not controversial. We shall see the how many people turn out.”

Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School will not be closed during voting hours — students will be following a regular school day.

Asked how voters would be kept separate from students and faculty during the period when polling station opening times overlap with school being in session, LOL Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser explained to LymeLine by email, “Voters will enter through the two exterior doors in the north corner of the gymnasium near the multi-purpose room.  They will use those same two doors to exit.  Their access will be limited to the gymnasium only.”

Neviaser said this new timing was initiated because, “the [Lyme-Old Lyme] Board [of Education] adjusted the time at the request of the Town of Old Lyme due to concerns regarding COVID.”

He continued, “Depending on how it goes this year we may consider this new time period for future referendums.  Many other regional school districts use the 12-8 [p.m.] time period.”

Neviaser concluded, “When using the school for voting, the change in time is beneficial in regard to visitor management.”

Filed Under: Lyme, Old Lyme, Schools, Town Hall

May 3 COVID-19 Update: Cumulative Cases Up One in Old Lyme to 338; Lyme Holds at 105 for 7th Successive Day

May 4, 2021 by Leave a Comment

LYME/OLD LYME — The Daily Data Report for Connecticut issued Monday, May 3, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health(CT-DPH) for data as at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, May 2, shows that Old Lyme increased by one new case since the previous day to 338 while Lyme’s held steady for the seventh reporting day in succession at 105.

These Daily Reports are not issued by CT DPH on Saturdays or Sundays and therefore Monday’s data includes new cases from both weekend days. The next new report will be issued in the afternoon of Tuesday, May 4.

Old Lyme – Cumulative Cases Up One

The May 3 Daily Data Report for Connecticut for data as at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, May 2, shows that Old Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 327 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 11 probable cases, making a TOTAL of 338 cases.

This represents an INCREASE of ONE in the cumulative number of confirmed cases and NO CHANGE in the number of probable cases compared with those reported the previous day.

The total number of Old Lyme residents tested is 5,180, an increase of 21 over the previous day’s number of 5,159.

Lyme – No Change in Cumulative Cases 

Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 97 confirmed cases and 8 probable cases, making a TOTAL of 105 cases.

This represents NO CHANGE in the cumulative number of confirmed or probable cases compared with those reported the previous day.

The total number of Lyme residents tested is 1,391, which represents an increase of two over the previous day’s number of 1,389.

Two-Week New Case Rates Place Old Lyme in Yellow (Second Lowest) Zone, Lyme in (Lowest) Gray

The report issued Monday, May 3, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) for the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks shows a significant improvement for the state as whole with the number of towns remaining in the Red Zone (indicating the highest COVID-19 new case rates) now less than 100 for the first time this year.

The number of towns in the state in the Red (highest) Zone for two-week new case rates has fallen from 112 last week to 97 this week. Old Lyme has moved down into the Yellow Zone reflecting  decreased new case rates while Lyme remains in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone.

Old Lyme is now one of the 18 towns in the Yellow (second lowest) Zone. Last week, there were 10 towns in this Zone so this is good news as more towns, including Old Lyme, fall out of the Orange (second highest) Zone.

Lyme is in the Gray Zone for two-week case rates, recording a seventh straight week in the lowest zone. Nineteen towns were in this zone last week and that number has increased to 22 this week. (Four zones are specified by the CT DPH — see details below.)

Overall, the number of towns in each zone is shown below with the previous week’s number in parentheses:

  • 22 (19) towns are now in the (lowest case rate) Gray Zone
  • 18 (10) are in the (lowest but one) Yellow Zone
  • 32 (27) are in the (second highest case rate) Orange Zone.

All the remaining 97 towns are in the Red Zone — last week’s number was 113.

Lyme joins 21 other towns in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone: Bozrah, Bridgewater, Canaan, Chaplin, Colebrook, Cornwall, Deep River, Franklin, Hampton, Hartland, Kent, Norfolk, Pomfret, Salisbury, Scotland, Sharon, Sprague, Union, Voluntown, Warren and Washington.

Old Lyme joins 17 other towns in the Yellow (second lowest rate) Zone: Brooklyn, Durham, East Granby, East Lyme, Essex, Ledyard, Montville, Newington, North Stonington, Salem, Somers, Stafford, Stonington, Suffield, Vernon, Weston and Willington.

The Orange (second highest rate) Zone now has 32 towns : Andover, Avon, Bolton, Burlington, Canterbury, Colchester, Columbia, Darien, East Hampton, Easton, Farmington, Glastonbury, Granby, Groton, Hebron, Lebanon, Lisbon, Mansfield, Marlborough, Middlefield, New Hartford, Plainfield, Portland, Ridgefield, Simsbury, South Windsor, Tolland, Waterford, West Hartford, Westport, Windsor Locks and Woodbridge.

  • The Gray category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is less than five or less than five reported cases.
  • The Yellow category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is between five and nine reported cases.
  • The Orange category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is between 10 and 14.
  • The Red category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town exceeds 15.

In all cases, this rate does not include cases or tests among residents of nursing home, assisted living, or correctional facilities.

This report is issued daily, but only updated weekly on Thursdays. The most recent report was updated Thursday, April 29; the next updated report will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, May 6.

Average Daily Case Rates: Old Lyme Down, Lyme Up

LLHD Director of Health Stephen Mansfield

On Thursday, April 29, Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) also issued their latest weekly report of COVID data for the municipalities within their District.

Ledge Light Director of Health Stephen Mansfield prefaces the report with the comment, “We are heartened to see a continued decrease in new cases throughout the District, with moderate decreases in the last two reporting periods. Our contact tracers continue to report clusters associated with daycares, schools, and workplaces, and transmissions linked to social gatherings and sporting events.”

He stresses, however, “Although we are making great strides with our COVID vaccination program, it is still imperative that we remain diligent in our mitigation strategies.”

The latest Average Daily Case Rates announced Thursday, April 29, (from 4/11 to 4/24) have decreased in Old Lyme but increased in Lyme. These case rates are as follows:

  • Old Lyme from 10.7 to 9.7
  • Lyme from 6.1 to 9.2

The same report shows that the case numbers in Week 1 and Week 2 respectively and recorded for the period 4/11 to 4/24  (compared with the previous two-week case rate shown in parentheses) are as follows:

  • Lyme had 1 (1) case in Week 1 and 2 (1) in Week 2
  • Old Lyme had 3 (8) cases in Week 1 and 7 (3) in Week 2

This data was updated April 29. The next Ledge Light Weekly Data Report for its District will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, May 6.

Vaccination Rates

At the request of several readers, we have started a section reflecting the status of community vaccination rates in Lyme and Old Lyme. The state changed its reporting format for vaccination rates on April 15 and their new data does not align precisely with the former data.

Lyme is ahead of Old Lyme in terms of the percentage of its total population that have received a first dose, with 72.06 percent vaccinated compared with 63.89 percent in Old Lyme.

The percentages for both towns for the age segment 65+ are very encouraging with Lyme now having 100 percent of seniors 65 and above fully vaccinated and 92.85 percent of the same age segment also fully vaccinated in Old Lyme.

The detailed data below was partly updated April 29, but we will add to it as we analyze the new format. One change is that the state is now reporting 65 and above as one group, whereas it was previously split into 65-74 and 75 and above.

Old Lyme
Total population:  7,306
Estimated population age 65-74:  1,067
Estimated population age 75 and above:  794

DateTotal pop. 1st dose given1st dose given as % of total pop. 1st dose given age 65-741st dose given as % of age 65-74 pop. 1st dose given age 75 & above1st dose given as % of age 75 & above pop.
3/12,11528.95%83578%73092%
3/82,62635,94%94588.57%76496.22%
3/153,07042.02%1,02796.25%797100.38%
3/243,24144.36%99893.53%75394.84%
3/313,55348.63%1,00193.81%75595.09%
4/74,17057.08%1,078101.08%76396.1%
4/154,80665.78%1,104103.47%77597.61%
4/294,66863.89%

Lyme
Total population:  2,316
Estimated population age 65-74:  372
Estimated population age 75 and above:  274

DateTotal pop. 1st dose gven1st dose given as % of total population 1st dose given age 65-741st dose given as % of age 65-74 pop.1st dose given age 75 & above1st dose given as a % of age 75 & above pop.
3/160526.12%24466%22281%
3/876733.12%28175.54%22983.58%
3/1580134.59%26972.31%20675.18%
3/241,13549.01%36297.31%279101.82%
3/311,25954.36%372100.00%289105.47%
4/71,51065.2%414111.29%295107.66%
4/151,73975.09%430115.59%298108.76%
4/291,66972.06%

Three Fatalities in Old Lyme Since Pandemic Began, None in Lyme

According to the report mentioned above, there have now been THREE fatalities in Old Lyme. Asked Tuesday, Feb. 9, for details of this third fatality, Ledge Light Health Department Director of Health Stephen Mansfield responded, “We have not been notified of any recent deaths in Old Lyme. Keep in mind that that report is compiled by the Connecticut Department of Public Health; deaths are not reportable to local health districts.”

He added, “I can’t speak for their data sources.”

The two fatalities from Old Lyme previously reported in 2020 were a 61-year-old female and an 82-year-old male.

No fatalities have been reported in Lyme.

Connecticut Hospital Occupancy

At the request of several readers, we have added a new report showing the respective rates of hospital occupancy at local hospitals. The data for this report is obtained from the Connecticut Hospital Occupancy Report published weekly by the CT DPH and extracted from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) facility-level data for hospital utilization aggregated on a weekly basis (Friday to Thursday).

The most recent report is dated Feb. 19 and covers the two-week period from 2/12 to 2/18. No subsequent updates have been issued.

Hospital Name% Adult In-patient Occupancy % Adult ICU Occupancy
Data from 1/8 - 1/14
Backus84.424.2
Lawrence & Memorial90.891.4
Middlesex78.289.9
Yale-New Haven87.982.6
Statewide80.860.9
Data from 1/15 - 1/21
Backus83.224.2
Lawrence & Memorial84.090.7
Middlesex83.388.7
Yale-New Haven91.487.9
Statewide79.960.8
Data from1/22 - 1/29
Backus66.10.0
Lawrence & Memorial90.690.0
Middlesex77.286.3
Yale-New Haven84.425.8
Statewide81.262.3
Data from1/29 - 2/5
Backus8622
Lawrence & Memorial8893
Middlesex6661
Yale-New Haven9189
Statewide79.360.7
Data from 2/1 - 2/11
Backus83.822.2
L & M87.687.9
Middlesex68.881.5
Yale-New Haven91.788.3
Statewide80.261.0
Data from 2/12 - 2/18
Backus79.122.4
L & M84.182.1
Middlesex74.488.1
Yale-New Haven90.883.6
Statewide77.959.8

Editor’s Note: The state issues a COVID-19 metric report daily around 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, which includes current data up to the previous evening. In light of the ongoing rise in Coronavirus cases, we publish a new weekday update reporting confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Lyme and Old Lyme. 

Filed Under: COVID-19, Lyme, Old Lyme

Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Budget Meeting Tonight, Referendum Tomorrow with New Voting Hours, 12 to 8 p.m.

May 3, 2021 by Leave a Comment

Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser. (File photo)

LYME/OLD LYME — The Lyme-Old Lyme (LOL) Schools Board of Education (BOE) will hold their District Budget Meeting Monday evening, May 3, in the Board of Education Conference Room at Center School starting at 6:30 p.m.

The proposed budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year totals $34,874, 548 representing a 0.47 percent increase over the current year’s budget. When this total is combined with last year’s decrease of 1.06 percent, the total change over two years is -0.6 percent or $210,210.

Region 18 Board of Education Chairman Diane Linderman

In the Letter of Transmittal accompanying the printed budget, LOL Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser and Region 18 Board of Education Chairman Diane Linderman say, “We have developed a budget that continues to support all of our award-winning academic and curricular offerings, which are commensurate with, and often superior to, both public and private schools throughout Connecticut.”

Members of the BOE are expected to vote at the meeting to move the public vote to approve the budget to an in-person referendum the following day, Tuesday, May 4.

Voting will take place from 12 noon to 8 p.m. at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School for Old Lyme residents and Lyme Town Hall for Lyme residents.

Information on absentee ballot and voter information is available at the following links:

Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School will not be closed during voting hours — students will be following a regular school day.

Asked how voters would be kept separate from students and faculty, Neviaser explained to LymeLine by email, ” Voters will enter through the two exterior doors in the north corner of the gymnasium near the multi-purpose room.  They will use those same two doors to exit.  Their access will be limited to the gymnasium only.”

This is the first time the polls will not open until 12 noon — traditionally voting begins at 6 a.m. Neviaser explained that this new timing was initiated because, “the [Lyme-Old Lyme] Board [of Education] adjusted the time at the request of the Town of Old Lyme due to concerns regarding COVID.”

He continued, “Depending on how it goes this year we may consider this new time period for future referendums.  Many other regional school districts use the 12-8 [p.m.] time period.”

Neviaser concluded, “When using the school for voting, the change in time is beneficial in regard to visitor management.”

Old Lyme First Selectman Timothy Griswold (File photo)

Regarding the time change, Old Lyme First Selectman Timothy Griswold commented to LymeLine by email, “I urged the School Board to vote the budget and skip the referendum because the budget is uncontroversial and actually has a slight decrease.”

He noted, however, “The School Board believes that it is more transparent to have an in person vote.”

Griswold went on to clarify his thinking on the matter saying, “Old Lyme has about 400 voters (out of about 6,000) [who vote in the referendum, on average.] Usually, voting occurs during the hours of 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM or 14 hours. That translates to about 29 voters per hour in Old Lyme.”

He noted, “We need about 12 staff to run the polls so the Town would likely need about double that to run two shifts of about seven hours each.”

Adding, “Then, we need to have absentee ballots which means less in person voters.”

Griswold said, “In the end, we discovered this type of vote must be from noon to 8:00 PM or eight hours. Now we are up to about 50 voters per hour.”

Concluding, “While the cost of running the voting in two towns is a School District expense,” Griswold pointed out, “the Towns fund the District so Old Lyme pays over 80% of the bill.”

In his final comment, he stated, “If the school budget were controversial, in person voting would make sense but this budget is not controversial. We shall see the how many people turn out.”

Editor’s Notes: The Budget Meeting will also be live-streamed at this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF2_W7yYtFwx067Ici9776Q/videos?view=57

Public comment can be made in person or virtually via this Zoom link:  https://region18.zoom.us/j/83527766795  and using Meeting ID: 835 2776 6795.

Those choosing the virtual option to make public comment will be required to follow the same expectations as those commenting in person, i.e., after being recognized by the chairperson, participants must state their name and place of residence before making their comments to the board.

Filed Under: Lyme, Old Lyme, Schools

April 30 COVID-19 Update: Old Lyme Reports One New Case, Cumulative Total Now 337; Lyme Holds at 105 for Sixth Successive Day

May 2, 2021 by Leave a Comment

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

LYME/OLD LYME — The Daily Data Report for Connecticut issued Friday, April 30, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health(CT-DPH) for data as at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 29, shows that Old Lyme increased by one new case since the previous day to 337 while Lyme’s held steady for the sixth reporting day in succession at 105.

These Daily Reports are not issued by CT DPH on Saturdays or Sundays and therefore Monday’s data includes new cases from both weekend days. The next new report will be issued in the afternoon of Monday, May 3.

Old Lyme – Cumulative Cases Up One

The April 30 Daily Data Report for Connecticut for data as at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 29, shows that Old Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 326 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 11 probable cases, making a TOTAL of 337 cases.

This represents an INCREASE of ONE in the cumulative number of confirmed cases and NO CHANGE in the number of probable cases compared with those reported the previous day.

The total number of Old Lyme residents tested is 5,159, an increase of three over the previous day’s number of 5,156.

Lyme – No Change in Cumulative Cases 

Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 97 confirmed cases and 8 probable cases, making a TOTAL of 105 cases.

This represents NO CHANGE in the cumulative number of confirmed or probable cases compared with those reported the previous day.

The total number of Lyme residents tested is 1,389, which represents an decrease of one over the previous day’s number of 1,390.

Two-Week New Case Rates Place Old Lyme in Yellow (Second Lowest) Zone, Lyme in (Lowest) Gray

The report issued Friday, April 30, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) for the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks shows a significant improvement for the state as whole with the number of towns remaining in the Red Zone (indicating the highest COVID-19 new case rates) now less than 100 for the first time this year.

The number of towns in the state in the Red (highest) Zone for two-week new case rates has fallen from 112 last week to 97 this week. Old Lyme has moved down into the Yellow Zone reflecting  decreased new case rates while Lyme remains in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone.

Old Lyme is now one of the 18 towns in the Yellow (second lowest) Zone. Last week, there were 10 towns in this Zone so this is good news as more towns, including Old Lyme, fall out of the Orange (second highest) Zone.

Lyme is in the Gray Zone for two-week case rates, recording a seventh straight week in the lowest zone. Nineteen towns were in this zone last week and that number has increased to 22 this week. (Four zones are specified by the CT DPH — see details below.)

Overall, the number of towns in each zone is shown below with the previous week’s number in parentheses:

  • 22 (19) towns are now in the (lowest case rate) Gray Zone
  • 18 (10) are in the (lowest but one) Yellow Zone
  • 32 (27) are in the (second highest case rate) Orange Zone.

All the remaining 97 towns are in the Red Zone — last week’s number was 113.

Lyme joins 21 other towns in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone: Bozrah, Bridgewater, Canaan, Chaplin, Colebrook, Cornwall, Deep River, Franklin, Hampton, Hartland, Kent, Norfolk, Pomfret, Salisbury, Scotland, Sharon, Sprague, Union, Voluntown, Warren and Washington.

Old Lyme joins 17 other towns in the Yellow (second lowest rate) Zone: Brooklyn, Durham, East Granby, East Lyme, Essex, Ledyard, Montville, Newington, North Stonington, Salem, Somers, Stafford, Stonington, Suffield, Vernon, Weston and Willington.

The Orange (second highest rate) Zone now has 32 towns : Andover, Avon, Bolton, Burlington, Canterbury, Colchester, Columbia, Darien, East Hampton, Easton, Farmington, Glastonbury, Granby, Groton, Hebron, Lebanon, Lisbon, Mansfield, Marlborough, Middlefield, New Hartford, Plainfield, Portland, Ridgefield, Simsbury, South Windsor, Tolland, Waterford, West Hartford, Westport, Windsor Locks and Woodbridge.

  • The Gray category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is less than five or less than five reported cases.
  • The Yellow category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is between five and nine reported cases.
  • The Orange category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is between 10 and 14.
  • The Red category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town exceeds 15.

In all cases, this rate does not include cases or tests among residents of nursing home, assisted living, or correctional facilities.

This report is issued daily, but only updated weekly on Thursdays. The most recent report was updated Thursday, April 29; the next updated report will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, May 6.

More Detail on Two-Week Case Rates: Old Lyme Down, Lyme Up

LLHD Director of Health Stephen Mansfield

On Thursday, April 29, Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) also issued their latest weekly report of COVID data for the municipalities within their District.

Ledge Light Director of Health Stephen Mansfield prefaces the report with the comment, “We are heartened to see a continued decrease in new cases throughout the District, with moderate decreases in the last two reporting periods. Our contact tracers continue to report clusters associated with daycares, schools, and workplaces, and transmissions linked to social gatherings and sporting events.”

He stresses, however, “Although we are making great strides with our COVID vaccination program, it is still imperative that we remain diligent in our mitigation strategies.”

The latest Average Daily Case Rates announced Thursday, April 29, (from 4/11 to 4/24) have decreased in Old Lyme but increased in Lyme.

The two-week case rates are as follows:

  • Old Lyme from 10.7 to 9.7
  • Lyme from 6.1 to 9.2

The same report shows that the case numbers in Week 1 and Week 2 respectively and recorded for the period 4/11 to 4/24  (compared with the previous two-week case rate shown in parentheses) are as follows:

  • Lyme had 1 (1) case in Week 1 and 2 (1) in Week 2
  • Old Lyme had 3 (8) cases in Week 1 and 7 (3) in Week 2

This data was updated April 29. The next Ledge Light Weekly Data Report for its District will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, May 6.

Vaccination Rates

At the request of several readers, we have started a section reflecting the status of community vaccination rates in Lyme and Old Lyme. The state changed its reporting format for vaccination rates on April 15 and their new data does not align precisely with the former data.

Lyme is ahead of Old Lyme in terms of the percentage of its total population that have received a first dose, with 72.06 percent vaccinated compared with 63.89 percent in Old Lyme.

The percentages for both towns for the age segment 65+ are very encouraging with Lyme now having 100 percent of seniors 65 and above fully vaccinated and 92.85 percent of the same age segment also fully vaccinated in Old Lyme.

The detailed data below was partly updated April 29, but we will add to it as we analyze the new format. One change is that the state is now reporting 65 and above as one group, whereas it was previously split into 65-74 and 75 and above.

Old Lyme
Total population:  7,306
Estimated population age 65-74:  1,067
Estimated population age 75 and above:  794

DateTotal pop. 1st dose given1st dose given as % of total pop. 1st dose given age 65-741st dose given as % of age 65-74 pop. 1st dose given age 75 & above1st dose given as % of age 75 & above pop.
3/12,11528.95%83578%73092%
3/82,62635,94%94588.57%76496.22%
3/153,07042.02%1,02796.25%797100.38%
3/243,24144.36%99893.53%75394.84%
3/313,55348.63%1,00193.81%75595.09%
4/74,17057.08%1,078101.08%76396.1%
4/154,80665.78%1,104103.47%77597.61%
4/294,66863.89%

Lyme
Total population:  2,316
Estimated population age 65-74:  372
Estimated population age 75 and above:  274

DateTotal pop. 1st dose gven1st dose given as % of total population 1st dose given age 65-741st dose given as % of age 65-74 pop.1st dose given age 75 & above1st dose given as a % of age 75 & above pop.
3/160526.12%24466%22281%
3/876733.12%28175.54%22983.58%
3/1580134.59%26972.31%20675.18%
3/241,13549.01%36297.31%279101.82%
3/311,25954.36%372100.00%289105.47%
4/71,51065.2%414111.29%295107.66%
4/151,73975.09%430115.59%298108.76%
4/291,66972.06%

Three Fatalities in Old Lyme Since Pandemic Began, None in Lyme

According to the report mentioned above, there have now been THREE fatalities in Old Lyme. Asked Tuesday, Feb. 9, for details of this third fatality, Ledge Light Health Department Director of Health Stephen Mansfield responded, “We have not been notified of any recent deaths in Old Lyme. Keep in mind that that report is compiled by the Connecticut Department of Public Health; deaths are not reportable to local health districts.”

He added, “I can’t speak for their data sources.”

The two fatalities from Old Lyme previously reported in 2020 were a 61-year-old female and an 82-year-old male.

No fatalities have been reported in Lyme.

Connecticut Hospital Occupancy

At the request of several readers, we have added a new report showing the respective rates of hospital occupancy at local hospitals. The data for this report is obtained from the Connecticut Hospital Occupancy Report published weekly by the CT DPH and extracted from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) facility-level data for hospital utilization aggregated on a weekly basis (Friday to Thursday).

The most recent report is dated Feb. 19 and covers the two-week period from 2/12 to 2/18. No subsequent updates have been issued.

Hospital Name% Adult In-patient Occupancy % Adult ICU Occupancy
Data from 1/8 - 1/14
Backus84.424.2
Lawrence & Memorial90.891.4
Middlesex78.289.9
Yale-New Haven87.982.6
Statewide80.860.9
Data from 1/15 - 1/21
Backus83.224.2
Lawrence & Memorial84.090.7
Middlesex83.388.7
Yale-New Haven91.487.9
Statewide79.960.8
Data from1/22 - 1/29
Backus66.10.0
Lawrence & Memorial90.690.0
Middlesex77.286.3
Yale-New Haven84.425.8
Statewide81.262.3
Data from1/29 - 2/5
Backus8622
Lawrence & Memorial8893
Middlesex6661
Yale-New Haven9189
Statewide79.360.7
Data from 2/1 - 2/11
Backus83.822.2
L & M87.687.9
Middlesex68.881.5
Yale-New Haven91.788.3
Statewide80.261.0
Data from 2/12 - 2/18
Backus79.122.4
L & M84.182.1
Middlesex74.488.1
Yale-New Haven90.883.6
Statewide77.959.8

Editor’s Note: The state issues a COVID-19 metric report daily around 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, which includes current data up to the previous evening. In light of the ongoing rise in Coronavirus cases, we publish a new weekday update reporting confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Lyme and Old Lyme. 

Filed Under: COVID-19, Lyme, Old Lyme
Next Page »