(WTH) — The Connecticut Department of Public Health has released a new COVID-19 study that shows where the virus is being spread.
It’s not really a study, but a summary of the track and trace reports that are being filed from around the state. The health department took them all together put them in categories to get a closer look at where the spread is coming from.
Related: Study finds that gyms, restaurants are among top places to contract COVID-19
“We are asking more questions about where people have been and trying to collect more information on venues but in particular where the outbreak team is focused on his work,” Dr. Lynn Sosa, Department of Public Health.
Officials looked at 69 different clusters, and at the top were restaurants that were responsible for 20 clusters in the track and trace.
Workspaces are second with 24 clusters, and right behind that is home spaces with 12 clusters.
The Connecticut Restaurant Association said it would like to do a deeper dive into the data to see exactly where it is being spread inside the restaurants.
“Employees are everything the risks that they take going down the road every day and that’s where we start with, and that’s where it seems like the information is that related,” Scott Dolch, CT Restaurant Association.
“Almost all of the restaurant situations were among workers only, in general, it’s primarily among kitchen staff,” explained Sosa. “There are a few situations where there was a mixture of patrons and employees, but I will tell you in those situations it is very difficult to say there was transmission between the two.”
Dolch said it is important to pinpoint transmission because he believes the patrons are safe dining indoors, which is the only thing keeping many restaurants afloat right now.
“The last thing I ever want is for us to take any more steps backwards as an industry, because we know we have already lost more than 600 food establishments in our state already, they have either closed permanently are closed without a date for reopening.”
At the bottom of the list, interestingly, is child care. That was one of the least places it was transmitted. It also took a look at it county by county with Hartford County having the highest numbers.