By Gregory Hladky
Coronavirus hospitalizations in Connecticut saw their biggest one-day decrease today since the state began tracking — a fact Gov. Ned Lamont seized as a hopeful sign despite the continued daily increases in deaths resulting from COVID-19.
State officials reported that patients now hospitalized with the virus total 1,877, a drop of 70 from the previous day. An additional 125 people died from COVID-19, bringing the Connecticut death toll to 1,764. The death toll includes three state employees who worked in Connecticut’s Department of Developmental Services who died after contracting the coronavirus, officials reported today.
At his daily briefing, Lamont called the ongoing reduction in hospitalizations “so positive.” He said another week of declines in the number of people needing hospital care for the coronavirus could bring the state closer to reopening some portions of the economy.
Stamford Hospital, which has been near the epicenter of Connecticut’s COVID-19 crisis for weeks, is now seeing “a bit of a turn-down” in hospitalization for the virus, said Kathleen Silard, president and CEO of that hospital, who joined Lamont for his news briefing.
Today was the first day in weeks that non-COVID-19 patients outnumbered coronavirus patients at the hospital, said Silard.
Silard also urged residents who may need hospital care for non-COVID-19 reasons not to put off those surgeries or procedures. While people may be afraid to seek hospital care because of the coronavirus, she said, they should be assured that Connecticut hospitals still have the ability to provide necessary care.
Despite the improving hospitalization numbers, the governor again warned of the risks of a “second surge” of the virus if schools and businesses are allowed to reopen too soon. Lamont has set May 20 as a key date, with all schools and most non-essential businesses closed at least until then.
“I’m afraid this is going to go on for some time,” Lamont said.
Lamont said that “it’s possible” some small businesses like restaurants and bars might be allowed to reopen before June under limited circumstances if widespread testing shows a continuing decline in the risk of a second round of coronavirus infections.
But he also said “it makes all the sense in the world to me” to keep all the auxiliary hospital facilities that have been set up open and ready in case a second wave of the virus hits.
The state’s push to ramp up testing for COVID-19 resulted in an additional 2,541 people being checked for the disease in the previous 24 hours, according to today’s report. A total of 74,038 people have now been tested for the coronavirus in Connecticut and Lamont said his administration will be rolling out plans for additional widespread testing next week.
Lamont also said officials are working to address problems in the food supply chain that are taxing the ability of the state to respond to increased demand at Connecticut’s over-burdened food banks.
