'Light at the end of the tunnel' for COVID? FacebookTwitterEmail Nurse Daphney Hippolyte fills a syringe with a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 at Stamford Hospital, in Stamford, Conn. Dec. 17, 2020.Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Stamford has grown more rapidly in recent weeks than it did during the initial wave of the pandemic last spring. In Greenwich, too, recent trends mirror those of April, when the pandemic hit a peak, shutting down much of Connecticut and bringing with it an air of uncertainty that hung heavy over the state. Early on in the crisis, public health officials and epidemiologists predicted subsequent waves of outbreaks, particularly as the weather cooled. But little was known about exactly how it would play out as businesses and schools reopened, winter and flu season arrived and COVID-fatigue took a toll on the millions of Connecticut residents who had been forced into isolation for the better part of a year.