On Wednesday, the state’s COVID-19 test positivity rate jumped into the teens and hospitalizations are also on the rise.
But the numbers are not as straightforward as they used to be.
Still, experts say the trends seem to suggest there’s a lot of COVID-19 spreading in the state.
“I think it's a little difficult to know exactly where we stand in terms of the COVID pandemic,” said Dr. David Banach, UConn Health hospital epidemiologist.
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Banach said the challenge now is there are limits to the data we’ve all been relying on.
Take the test positivity rate, now hitting 13% for the seven-day rolling average.
“A lot of individuals are doing home tests and you know that data isn't reported,” Banach said.
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Hospitalizations rose to 300 people, up 55 in the past week. But many are patients who come for some other reason and happen to test positive.
While the metrics are harder to compare to other periods during the pandemic, Banach said tracking changes day-to-day and week-to-week is still helpful.
“I think when we look at the data that's presented in terms of number of positive tests, a number of hospitalized individuals who test positive, coupled with the wastewater testing, I think the trend is showing that there is a relatively high level of virus circulating in the community, seems to be increasing over the recent weeks,” Banach said.
Banach cautions it’s hard to know exactly what’s behind the rise, though factors might include really easy to spread Omicron subvariants, folks moving away from masking and immunity from vaccination and prior infection waning over time.
“I think on the individual level, there are things that individuals can do to help reduce their risk of COVID and particularly severe COVID,” Banach said.
To protect yourself, there are vaccinations, especially boosters, as well as masking up in certain situations and getting tested if you have COVID symptoms.
Another hope is that warmer weather and more people getting outside helps lower cases, too.
