SOUTHWICK- The Town of Southwick reported 12 new COVID-19 cases this week to bring the pandemic total for the town to 282.
Health Director Tammy Spencer said Thursday morning that 39 Southwick residents are in isolation with COVID-19. She said there had been no additional COVID-19 deaths in the previous week. Five Southwick residents have died from the virus.
Because of the Christmas and New Years holidays, the reporting period covers from Wednesday, Dec. 23 to Thursday, Dec. 31.
Across the state the percent positivity rate increased in the days immediately following Christmas, though the number of actual tests being administered during that time was much lower than had been reported in recent weeks. COVID-19 cases contracted as a result of Christmas gatherings may not be reflected in the reported numbers until next week or the following week.
From Dec. 18 to Dec. 24 the positivity rate was 5.08 percent. From Dec. 25 to Dec. 30 it was 6.08. Positive cases detected on Dec. 25 were reported alongside the numbers for Dec. 26 due to the holiday.
Nationally, the number of new reported cases has declined somewhat, though that may be attributed to lower rates of testing during the holidays. Southern California and Arizona are two of the worst impacted areas of the country.
The new variant of COVID-19 first detected in the United Kingdom had been detected in Colorado and southern California as of Thursday, Dec. 31. The variant is considered to be approximately 70 percent more infectious than the original variants, though it is not believed to be any deadlier.
