Trends in short
- As of March 21, 81,415,769 people have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in the United States. Over 156 million doses of vaccines have been delivered to states, territories, and federal agencies that are charged with distribution.[1]
- The number of new COVID-19 cases in the US has fallen 7% in the past two weeks. The weekly average of new cases per day (N=54,404) has finally fallen below the average of new cases during the summer surge of cases, but is still greater than the initial spring peak in cases.[2]
- New coronavirus cases in Connecticut have increased in the past two weeks. The state is currently seeing an average of 873 new cases per day, up from 769 cases per day two weeks ago.[3]
- The number of daily COVID-19 cases has been stable in Rhode Island, with an average of 362 new cases per day this week, up from 357 cases per two weeks ago.[4]
International case numbers
- 123,302,986 COVID-19 diagnosed cases worldwide; 2,716,829 deaths; 69,898,669 recovered.[5] More than 447 million doses of vaccines have been administered in 133 countries.[6]
- The United States continues to have the highest number of reported COVID-19 cases at 29,819,314. Brazil has the second highest number of reported cases with 11,998,233, India third with 11,646,081 cases, and Russia fourth with 4,416,226 cases.[7]
- The Astra-Zeneca one-shot vaccine is 79% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 cases and is completely effective against coronavirus’s worst outcomes.[8] The Covax program, aimed at ensuring equitable vaccine distribution worldwide, will largely rely on the Astra-Zeneca vaccine.[9]
- India is facing a second wave of COVID-19 cases, driven by a surge of new cases in Mumbai. India’s government reported nearly 47,000 new cases on Monday, the country’s highest number of new cases in nearly four months.[10]
- Although the number of reported COVID-19 cases in densely populated countries in Asia and Africa may in part be connected to reduced testing capacity, it appears as though many countries are not facing as great of a COVID-associated death toll as many wealthier nations. Multiple factors appear to be influencing lower mortality rates across Asia and Africa, including the fact that many of the countries have younger populations,[11] warmer climates allow people to spend more time outdoors where coronavirus is less transmissible,[12] previous exposure to other coronaviruses and microbes may increase natural immunity,[13] and because many countries have enacted swift, effective policies to curtail COVID-19.[14]
- Multiple variants of the COVID-19 virus have been discovered throughout the world. While research is ongoing, it appears that variants generally may spread between people more easily but are not necessarily more deadly on a per incident basis. Research so far suggests that COVID-19 vaccines currently authorized for use in the United States are effective against the variants.[15]
Distribution of new coronavirus cases and deaths worldwide each week (from The World Health Organization COVID-19 Weekly Situation Update, as of 3/14/2021).[16]
US National case numbers
- 29,819,314 cases of coronavirus confirmed by lab tests, 542,379 deaths, and more than 12,000,000 recovered cases. 382,222,468 total tests have been conducted.[17]
- 81,415,769 people have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 44,141,228 people are fully vaccinated.[18]
- This week, the states with the highest rate of cases per 100,000 people are New Jersey, Rhode Island, Michigan, New York, and Delaware. New Jersey, which has 45 cases per 100,000 people in the state, is currently seeing an average of 4,004 new COVID-19 cases per day.[19]
- Officials in at least 20 US states have committed to opening COVID-19 vaccines to all adults in March or April. All adults are already allowed to book appointments in Alaska and Mississippi.[20]
Risk in population
COVID-19 deaths reported to National Center for Health Statistics as of March 17, 2021[21]
| Age group | Total number of deaths | Percentage of reported deaths |
| 0-24 | 907 | 0.18% |
| 25-44 | 12,080 | 2.33% |
| 45-54 | 24,350 | 4.70% |
| 55-64 | 62,247 | 12.03% |
| 65-74 | 113,198 | 21.87% |
| 75+ | 304,793 | 58.89% |
Provisional Death Counts for COVID-19 by Demographic Characteristics as of March 17, 2021[22]
| Population Total | |
| Female | 45.25% |
| Male | 54.75% |
| White | 39.90% |
| Black | 13.20% |
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 0.40% |
| Asian | 10.10% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 0.20% |
| Hispanic | 34.20% |
| Other | 2.10% |
Known cases in Connecticut (call 211 or text “CTCOVID” to 898211 for information)
- As of March 18 2021 there were 296,691 confirmed and probable cases (+9,295 from March 7), 402 hospitalizations (+14 from March 7), and 7,832 deaths (+107 from March 7). 7,316,936 patients have been tested in the state with a 2.87% daily positivity rate.[23]
- Confirmed and probable cumulative cases by county[24]
- Fairfield County: 85,225 cases, 2,097 deaths
- Hartford County: 73,092 cases, 2,333 deaths
- Litchfield County: 11,942 cases, 284 deaths
- Middlesex County: 11,056 cases, 349 deaths
- New Haven County: 76,466 cases, 1,980 deaths
- New London County: 20,012 cases, 418 deaths
- Tolland County: 8,276 cases, 178 deaths
- Windham County: 9,579 cases, 184 deaths
Cumulative Cases and Deaths in CT with Percent Increase from Previous Reporting Period by County
| County | Mar. 18 | Mar. 7 | Feb. 22 | Feb. 4 | Jan. 22 | Jan. 4 | Dec. 17 |
| Fairfield Cases (% increase) Deaths (% increase) | 85,225 (3.5) 2,097 (0.9) | 82,35 (4.5) 2,079 (2.2) | 78,803 (5.9) 2,034 (4.5) | 74,404 (7.7) 1,947 (3.2) | 69,065 (17.1) 1,886 (7.5) | 58,959 (16.5) 1,755 (7.8) | 50,614 (12.5) 1,628 (3.2) |
| Hartford Cases (% increase) Deaths (% increase) | 73,092 (2.4) 2,333 (1.3) | 71, 388 (3.3) 2,304 (2.0) | 69,078 (5.5) 2,258 (3.7) | 65,496 (9.1) 2,178 (6.3) | 60,027 (21.1) 2,048 (7.8) | 49,560 (22.0) 1,900 (9.6) | 40,611 (17.7) 1,733 (4.1) |
| Litchfield Cases (% increase) Deaths (% increase) | 11,942 (4.8) 284 (1.1) | 11,399 (4.4) 281 (3.3) | 10,917 (6.4) 272 (5.0) | 10,256 (9.2) 259 (5.3) | 9,391 (19.1) 246 (6.0) | 7,885 (22.0) 232 (13.2) | 6,515 (17.7) 205 (12.6) |
| Middlesex Cases (% increase) Deaths (% increase) | 11,056 (3.6) 349 (1.5) | 10,673 (4.5) 344 (1.2) | 10,212 (6.9) 340 (4.6) | 9,549 (9.6) 325 (5.9) | 8,712 (23.6) 307 (19.0) | 7,047 (31.3) 258 (13.2) | 5,367 (18.4) 228 (6.0) |
| New Haven Cases (% increase) Deaths (% increase) | 76,466 (3.9) 1,980 (2.2) | 73,618 (5.4) 1,937 (1.7) | 69,832 (6.6) 1,905 (4.7) | 65,488 (9.0) 1,820 (4.7) | 60,085 (19.5) 1,738 (9.7) | 50,290 (20.5) 1,584 (11.2) | 41,723 (16.8) 1,425 (6.7) |
| New London Cases (% increase) Deaths (% increase) | 20,012 (2.3) 418 (0.5) | 19,568 (4.1) 416 (2.7) | 18,791 (6.8) 405 (7.7) | 17,587 (12.1) 376 (9.6) | 15,684 (35.0) 343 (29.9) | 11,616 (29.9) 264 (25.1) | 8,940 (21.9) 211 (11.6) |
| Tolland Cases (% increase) Deaths (% increase) | 8,276 (3.0) 178 (3.5) | 8,038 (4.8) 172 (6.8) | 7,673 (7.1) 161 (10.3) | 7,163 (11.5) 146 (15.9) | 6,422 (22.9) 126 (11.5) | 5,225 (24.5) 113 (13.0) | 4,197 (17.0) 100 (16.3) |
| Windham Cases (% increase) Deaths (% increase) | 9,579 (2.2) 184 (1.1) | 9,370 (3.2) 182 (2.2) | 9,081 (6.0) 178 (14.8) | 8,571 (12.2) 155 (29.2) | 7,642 (34.6) 120 (39.5) | 5,676 (36.7) 86 (68.6) | 4,153 (26.2) 51 (41.7) |
Connecticut Cumulative Statistics by Month for Age and Race/Ethnicity
| COVID Cases (Deaths) by Age | Mar. 18 | Mar. 7 | Feb. 21 | Feb. 4 |
| 0 – 9 cases (deaths) | 16,529 (2) | 15,753 (1) | 14,905 (2) | 13,690 (2) |
| 10 – 19 cases (deaths) | 32,508 (4) | 31,021 (4) | 29,269 (3) | 27,065 (3) |
| 20 – 29 cases (deaths) | 50,980 (9) | 49,232 (9) | 46,977 (9) | 44,256 (7) |
| 30 – 39 cases (deaths) | 45,586 (37) | 44,111 (38) | 42,253 (36) | 39,838 (33) |
| 40 – 49 cases (deaths) | 41,558 (123) | 40,260 (118) | 38,496 (111) | 36,326 (103) |
| 50 – 59 cases (deaths) | 45,578 (401) | 44,272 (391) | 42,505 (373) | 40,147 (349) |
| 60 – 69 cases (deaths) | 31,261 (1,002) | 30,470 (974) | 29,318 (947) | 27,714 (903) |
| 70 – 79 cases (deaths) | 16,550 (1,749) | 16,314 (1,723) | 15,902 (1,691) | 15,120 (1,612) |
| 80+ cases (deaths) | 15,940 (4,504) | 15,811 (4,467) | 15,593 (4,390) | 15,145 (4,202) |
| COVID Cases (Deaths) by Race/Ethnicity | ||||
| Hispanic cases (deaths) | 42, 743 (803) | 41,738 (785) | 40,391 (757) | 38,252 (711) |
| American Indian or Alaskan Native cases (deaths) | 400(3) | 394 (3) | 388 (3) | 382 (3) |
| Asian or Pacific Islander cases (deaths) | 3,187 (86) | 3,043 (83) | 2,835 (82) | 2,632 (81) |
| Black cases (deaths) | 20,297 (926) | 19,778 (912) | 18,884 (897) | 17,851 (872) |
| Multiracial cases (deaths) | 19,098 (370) | 17,927 (357) | 16,392 (320) | 14,349 (263) |
| Other cases (deaths) | 16,006 (42) | 15, 376 (39) | 14,750 (38) | 13,630 (34) |
| White cases (deaths) | 89,427 (5,472) | 86,205 (5,420) | 80,842 (5,342) | 75,634 (5,135) |
| Unknown cases (deaths) | 105,533 (130) | 102,935 (126) | 100,852 (123) | 96,642 (115) |
- As of March 22, 2021 the Yale New Haven Health System has 182 hospitalized patients with a COVID-19 diagnosis, up 12 patients from March 10, 2021. For context, at the height of the April peak in cases 750 patients were hospitalized.
- Yale New Haven Hospital currently has 114 patients, 41 are in the ICU and of those 15 are on ventilators. Greenwich Hospital currently has 9 patients, Westerly Hospital has 1, Bridgeport Hospital has 50, and Lawrence and Memorial Hospital has 8.
Connecticut developments
- Governor Ned Lamont announced an accelerated schedule to provide COVID-19 vaccines to residents. Under the new schedule, all adults age 16 and over will be able to sign up to receive a vaccine starting April 5. Currently, the minimum age to receive a vaccine is 45.[25]
- Governor Ned Lamont announced the easing of some COVID-19 restrictions beginning March 19. Capacity limits on certain businesses such as restaurants, gyms, and offices will be lifted and indoor and permissible outdoor gathering sizes have been increased. However, the mask mandate and 11 pm curfew for restaurants and entertainment venues will still remain in place. Bars that only serve beverages will continue to remain closed.[26]
- Professor Gregg Gonsalves of the Yale School of Public Health has criticized Connecticut’s new vaccine strategy, as essential workers and those with comorbidities will no longer necessarily be next in line for vaccination. Professor Gonsalves recommends a strategy that balances age-based prioritization with strategies that will allow some of the state’s residents that are also vulnerable to COVID-19 to be vaccinated.[27]
- Connecticut currently has fully vaccinated 16.9% of all its residents and 30.3% have received at least one vaccine dose, both in the top 10% of US states.[28]
Known cases in Rhode Island (call 401-222-8022 for information)
As of March 19, 2021[29]
- 133,039 confirmed cumulative cases (+4,058 from 3/8/21; a 3.15% increase in the two-week period)
- 3,323,017 total tests conducted (+194,974 from 3/8/21)
- 298,589 people have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine (+66,210 from 3/8/21)
- 164,640 people are fully vaccinated (+73,253 from 3/8/21)
- 129 patients currently hospitalized (-4 from 3/8/21)
- 18 patients currently in ICU (-3 from 3/8/21)
- 2,595 deaths in the state (+46 from 3/8/21)
Rhode Island developments
- Governor Dan McKee announced that all Rhode Island residents age 16 and older will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine by April 19.[30]
- Rhode Island continues to be among the states with the highest rate of new COVID-19 cases. Currently the state has the second-highest rate at 34 new cases per 100,000 people. On average, Rhode Island is seeing 362 new COVID-19 cases per day.[31]
- Rhode Island developed a strategy to prioritize vaccination eligibility for residents in the state’s hardest-hit communities. Rhode Islanders of color and those living in the hardest-hit communities have experienced higher rates of COVID-19 infections, sickness, and death. The goal of the Hard-Hit Communities Strategy is to ensure vaccines are distributed equitably to those who face the greatest threats posed by COVID-19.[32]
- CVS and Walgreens pharmacies in Rhode Island are taking part in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program which has allowed them to expand vaccinations to educators, school staff, and childcare workers.[33]
CovidTracker 