Connecticut Governor on Hospitalizations: ‘Could Have Been a Lot More Severe’

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) said Monday he is encouraged that hospitalizations for patients infected with the novel coronavirus are now “relatively flat” in his state.

“I take this as [reasonably] good news,” Lamont said during a briefing. “The situation could have been a lot more severe … this gives us a lot more room to breathe.”

On Monday, Lamont noted 1,221 total hospitalizations due to COVID-19, 79 more since Sunday.

“I think of a real interest to me, as I look at hospitalization, you see 79 people hospitalized; that’s a number again that’s going up not exponentially, but going up on a linear basis which is, I think, good news,” the governor said.

Connecticut has experienced 206 total coronavirus deaths, with 17 fatalities occurring since Sunday, a number Lamont said, while “never good news” is still “a number that’s not going up exponentially.”

“What that means is that gives us capacity to plan, and this is following what our modeling has been and I start with our healthcare system,” he added. “Our health care system is bending but it’s not breaking and that’s because we did build in capacity.”

Lamont said Connecticut’s rate of increase of coronavirus cases is “not going up quite as quickly” as New York, New Jersey, Louisiana, and Massachusetts.

“And there may be a variety of reasons for that, one of which is social distancing,” he explained. “Another which may be we may be just a little less dense.”

The state map of current coronavirus hospitalizations by county, courtesy of CT Mirror, shows Fairfield and New Haven counties – with closest proximity to New York City – having the most cases. The more rural and less densely populated counties, particularly those east of the Connecticut River, have far fewer hospitalizations:

Despite some optimism, Lamont cautioned Connecticut residents about the need to continue remaining at home and practicing social distancing.

On Monday, Lamont launched a public service broadcast campaign featuring announcements (PSAs) telling residents to “Stay Safe, Stay Home” to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

“We need to make sure we’re getting the word out to our residents as much as possible, and through all means,” the governor said. “Our broadcast partners serve the public every day by providing them with accurate and timely information, and these PSAs will provide that clear message to the public.”