Connecticut took another step towards Phase 1 of the reopening plan as the number of COVID-related hospitalizations continued a downward trend on Tuesday.
The state saw a net drop of 23 hospitalizations since Monday, Gov. Ned Lamont said in a briefing on Tuesday afternoon.
There were fewer coronavirus-related hospitalizations in Fairfield County (378) on Tuesday than there were in New Haven County (399).
"The curve is bending down and that is incredibly positive," Lamont said.
There were 568 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, bringing the total to 34,333 since the pandemic began in Connecticut. The state saw 33 more fatalities on Tuesday. The death toll in Connecticut now stands at 3,041.
The governor pointed to a new shipment of PPE to the state as another positive step towards reopening Connecticut. He toured a facility on Tuesday that is storing that new PPE.
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He also announced a partnership with Yale New Haven Health and Jackson Labs to increase testing over the next several weeks. Lamont said he hoped the new partnership would allow the state to do about 42,000 tests per week by next week.
Adequate testing is another key component in the governor's criteria to move ahead with Phase 1 of the plan to reopen.
Lamont said he was tested for coronavirus on Tuesday for the first time. He had not received the results of the test by the time of the briefing.
The governor said his decision to be tested was based on the fact that tests were now more widely available.
