Connecticut’s most recent COVID-19 report, which includes two weeks of data, showed 67 positive cases in Plainville, which puts the community in the coronavirus red zone (15-plus cases per 100,000 people per day).

Top-of-the-chart red status is where most Connecticut towns and cities now stand. 

According to the state report, as of Nov. 28, 354 people in Connecticut were hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19. Among the hospitalized, 262 — 74 percent — were not fully vaccinated.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 symptoms may appear 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus. Symptoms may include fever or chills, coughing, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea.

At a media briefing Monday, Hartford HealthCare officials told reporters the much-talked-about omicron variant of COVID-19 was a concern because of mutations in the virus’s spiked protein, but said they feel existing vaccines and boosters would provide some protection.

“Even if not 100 percent, it should provide some protection,” said Dr. Ulysses Wu, Hartford Healthcare’s chief epidemiologist. “There could be some mutations that could allow it to evade the immune system and testing, but I don’t believe that is the case right now.”

As winter approaches, health officials encouraged people to wear masks indoors and social distance if among unfamiliar people. They are also encouraging people to get their first vaccine and boosters if their second shot was more than six months ago. 

“The more transmission we have the more likely variants are going to pop up,” Wu said.

Citizen report