Borgstrom and Balcezak at Tuesday afternoon’s presser: Renewing calls for vigilance.
New Haven County saw a 21 percent rise in Covid cases last week, mirroring a regional uptick in the virus and leading to renewed calls for social distancing.
At a press conference, Yale New Haven Health top doctor Tom Balcezak Tuesday warned that “we’re facing another shutdown” if cases continue to rise.
YNHH CEO Marna Borgstrom reported that the hospital is currently treating 64 Covid-positive inpatients across the state. That is two and a half times the number of cases two weeks ago on Sept. 30, when only 26 patients were hospitalized.
Of those inpatients, 29 are presently hospitalized at Yale New Haven Hospital (compared to 14 inpatients two weeks ago.) Bridgeport is treating 14 inpatients, while Lawrence & Memorial is treating 13 and Greenwich is treating 8.
According to DataHaven, New Haven County saw a 21 percent spike in detected Covid-19 cases between the week of Sept. 24 and the week of Oct. 1. Last week, between Oct. 1 and Oct. 8, New Haven County discovered 294 new cases of the virus.
Over the course of that week, Connecticut as a whole learned of 1,741 new cases. According to the State Department of Health’s data, cases are rising particularly in Eastern Connecticut.
Then, this past weekend, an outbreak at University of New Haven grew to more than 100 cases.
Data on Covid cases from the State of Connecticut shows uptick in the East.
Balcezak said that the hospital system is equipped for a possible second wave of the virus as the weather gets colder.
“We’re well prepared in terms of supplies and PPE [Personal Protective Equipment],” said Balcezak. “What worries me more than anything is that our staff are tired.”
Among staff, the hospital system itself has adjusted protective gear protocols to require that staff treating patients who aren’t wearing masks must don a face shield in addition to a mask and gloves.
“It’s very unusual for these viruses to spread via the mucous membranes of the eyes, but there’s evidence that it might,” Balcezak explained.
The hospital officials implored the public to stay alert and double down on infection control practices such as wearing a mask, remaining six feet apart from others, and washing hands thoroughly and frequently.
Connecticut residents seem to be struggling to sustain social distancing practices, Borgstrom acknowledged.
“People are really fatigued.” But those practices are ever more important to maintain as Covid cases rise across the state, she said. “This is going to be our reality for a while.”