Covid-19: A Year In Review

It has been over one year since the emergence of Covid-19 in Connecticut. This report provides a detailed snapshot of Covid-19 in Connecticut over the past year, including Covid-19 statistics, the economic impact on residents and businesses, progress made, and the light ahead.

 
Photo by Forest Simon

Photo by Forest Simon

Key Takeaways

 

  • Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths peaked in April 2020 and again in January 2021.

  • Residents 80 years and older experienced the highest death rates.

  • Black and Hispanic communities experienced higher case and death rates than other races and ethnicities.

  • The unemployment rate exceeded 10% in May, June, and July 2020, surpassing the peak unemployment rate in Connecticut during the 2008 recession.

  • Female residents and Asian residents experienced the largest increase in unemployment claims.

  • About 75% of businesses responded that Covid-19 has negatively affected their business, many of which have applied for financial assistance.

  • One in 10 businesses believe they will never return to pre-Covid levels of operations.

  • Here are some things we can celebrate:

    • At the time of this report, vaccinations are continuing to be administered.

    • Organizations across Connecticut have worked hard to provide accurate data and news.

    • Businesses have learned to adapt to maintain operations.

    • Residents have spent more time outdoors.

Covid-19: The Numbers

Covid-19 in Connecticut

 

Connecticut experienced its first peak in Covid-19 cases in April 2020, at over 1,000 cases per day. New cases decreased and remained at fewer than 200 new cases per day through summer 2020. As summer 2020 came to an end, Covid-19 cases increased exponentially from fall 2020 into the beginning of 2021, with a peak of over 3,000 new cases per day in mid-January.

Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths show a similar pattern with peaks in April 2020 and January 2021. However, unlike with cases, the peak for hospitalizations and deaths in April 2020 was substantially higher than in January 2021. This might be attributed to factors including the novelty of Covid-19 in March and April 2020, social distancing measures, temporary lockdowns, mask mandates, and ongoing research regarding Covid-19.

covid-19 by town and county

Among Covid-19 cases in Connecticut, Fairfield and New Haven Counties reported the highest case rates, with Hartford and Windham Counties trailing slightly behind. Although case rates were similar in these counties, Hartford County experienced the highest death rate of 256 deaths per 100,000 people. Litchfield County and Tolland County had the lowest case and death rates.

 

Many towns in Connecticut such as Hartford, Bridgeport, Stamford, Windham, and Danbury experienced case rates of over 10,000 cases per 100,000 people. This means that over one in 10 residents in these towns tested positive for Covid-19. Town death rates did not necessarily line up with case rates, as older adults are more likely to die from Covid-19 once contracted.

For example, in Old Saybrook, while the case rate was half the rate of Danbury, the death rate was almost triple, which may partially be attributed to the high median age of residents in Old Saybrook (52 years old) compared to Danbury (38 years old). Additionally, Covid-19 deaths in nursing homes have accounted for a significant proportion of total Covid-19 deaths. Old Saybrook has 25 nursing home beds per 1,000 people, compared to six nursing home beds per 1,000 people in Danbury.

 

Covid-19 By Age

Residents 80 years and older have experienced the highest death rates for the duration of the pandemic and highest case rates for most of the pandemic. However, case rates surged for residents between 20 and 29 in fall 2020 and continue into 2021, surpassing the rate for residents 80 years and older.

 

covid-19 by race and ethnicity

Black and Hispanic communities have been impacted disproportionately during the pandemic, with higher case and death rates than other races and ethnicities. These disparities are likely due to ongoing systemic racism and health inequities. For example, Black and Hispanic adults are disproportionately represented in essential work settings, placing them at greater risk of being exposed to Covid-19. Age-adjusted deaths for American Indian or Alaskan Native residents were not available.

According to the Community Wellbeing Survey, 58% of Black and 56% of Hispanic working adults in Connecticut leave home for work very often, compared to 37% of white working adults. Racial discrimination in and associated distrust of the healthcare system may also discourage people of color from seeking testing, treatment, and vaccination for Covid-19. This can lead to an increase in illness severity, hospitalizations, and deaths.

 

Economic Impact: Individuals

unemployment

The number of unemployed residents rose sharply starting in March 2020 as stay-at-home orders and social distancing measures required places of employment to furlough or lay off employees. Others struggled to keep their small businesses open while navigating new policies. The unemployment rate in Connecticut exceeded 11% in May, June, and July 2020, surpassing the peak unemployment rate in Connecticut during the 2008 recession (slightly under 10%). Unemployment remained high through the rest of 2020, with rates of around 8%.

 
 

initial unemployment claims

With tens of thousands of residents suddenly unemployed, the number of initial claims received by the Connecticut Department of Labor skyrocketed. On the week ending March 15, 2020, approximately 80,000 initial claims were filed—nearly 50 times the number of initial claims filed during the same week of 2019.

 
 

Initial Claims By Race/Ethnicity and Sex

 

In the first two quarters of 2020, initial unemployment claims rose by over 600% in Connecticut compared to 2019. Residents who identified as Asian or Pacific Islander experienced an increase of nearly 1,700% in the first two quarters and continued to experience large increases in initial claims in the third and fourth quarters of 2020.

Furthermore, data shows that initial claims by female residents jumped over 1,000% in the first quarter, compared to slightly less than 400% for male residents. In the second and third quarters, increases for female and male residents are similar, but a disparity is seen again in the fourth quarter. These disparities may be attributed to various reasons—56% of food service workers are female, 76% of parents reporting needing to stay home and not work due to child care were female, 92% of private child care providers are female-owned and three in four have closed during the pandemic.

Continued Unemployment claims

Unemployment benefits peaked at nearly 320,000 continued claims on the week ending May 3, 2020. This is over 10 times the number of continued claims during the same week in 2019. Continued claims steadily decreased after May 3, but remained above 150,000 through the end of 2021. Unlike initial claims data, continued claims data does not include Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims. A resident is only eligible for PUA if determined to be ineligible for regular unemployment benefits after applying for an initial claim. Thus, a resident in the situation described is added to initial claims data but not continued claims data.

 
 

Continued claims by race/ethnicity and sex

Disaggregated continued claims data mirrored initial claims data. For all four quarters of 2020, residents who identified as Asian or Pacific experienced major increases in continued claims, and claims rose higher for female residents compared to male residents.

 

Food and medical assistance

Recipients of food and medical assistance to Connecticut Department of Social Services increased from 2019 to 2020, especially during spring and summer 2020. CT Department of Social Services explained that as other aid programs and pandemic responses occurred, some beneficiaries no longer qualified for or needed food assistance, leading to the decrease in recipients later in 2020. Medical assistance enrollment grew in 2020 due to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. This allowed most individuals who no longer qualified for Medicaid or who did not complete the annual renewal process to remain continuously enrolled.

 

Economic Impact: Businesses

overall impact

According to the Census Bureau’s Small Business Pulse Survey, 75% of businesses in Connecticut reported that Covid-19 has affected them negatively. More than half of businesses were forced to reduce operating capacity compared to before the pandemic. New business registrations fluctuated throughout 2020, with dips in March, April, and May 2020.

 

financial assistance

As the pandemic forced businesses to reduce hours, services, and income due to stay-at-home orders, many were not able to pay their employees. From the end of December 2020 to February 2021, 57% of businesses requested and 48% of businesses received financial assistance, compared to 53% and 42% nationally. Businesses most commonly requested and received financial assistance from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), with over one in three businesses requesting or receiving assistance from at least one phase of PPP.

 

Other challenges

 

Among the many financial challenges created by Covid-19, one in three businesses have experienced delays or problems with product supply, shipping, and delivery.

When asked about their outlook and returning to pre-Covid levels of business operations, 43% of businesses estimated it would take more than half a year to return to pre-Covid operations and 10% of businesses believe that their business will never return to pre-Covid levels of operations.

 
 

Looking Forward

covid-19 vaccinations

As of March 31, 2021, 1 in 3 of Connecticut residents have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and 1 in 5 are fully vaccinated. All Connecticut residents 16 and older are eligible to receive a vaccine beginning April 1, 2021.

 
 

accomplishments

Although Covid-19 has changed the lives of Connecticut residents over the past year, we have been able to adapt as individuals and businesses:

  • Businesses quickly learned to adjust workflow and policies to keep staff and programs operating to the best of their ability.

  • Many residents have turned to the outdoors for socially distanced activities.

  • State partners such as Connecticut’s Department of Public Health and Department of Social Services and media outlets such as CT Mirror and Hartford Courant dedicated themselves to providing accurate Covid-19 data and news around the clock.

 

If you are interested in learning more about Covid-19 data, check out our Covid-19 portal and Covid-19 blog posts. For training and tips on how to use data to inform your personal and professional life, register for one of our CTData Academy workshops or browse our blog. You can keep up with all our updates by subscribing to our newsletter and following us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.