Within the last few weeks, CDC data has shown COVID-19 hospitalizations are on the rise in Connecticut.
“I think it’s multi-factorial, but I don’t think we’re going to see a huge increase like we have seen in previous years,” said Dr. Ulysses Wu, chief epidemiologist at Hartford HealthCare.
“Not as big as we were in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but definitely an increase over the last month or so,” said Dr. Lynn Sosa, state epidemiologist and director of infectious diseases.
CDC data taken from the last full week in July shows that Connecticut has seen 103 confirmed COVID-19 hospitalizations, which represents a 6.2% change from the previous week.
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“It pales in comparison to previous years, whether its true number is due to underreporting or undertesting or it actually is lower, which I suspect it is a combination of both,” Wu said.
Nationwide, CDC numbers show COVID-19 hospitalization numbers are the lowest they’ve been in several years, but Wu says given recent activity, certain precautions can still help people stay healthy, especially for those most vulnerable to complications.
“If you’re caring for somebody who may be immunocompromised or who may be susceptible, it’s something that you may want to take into account, and you want to do the things–avoid getting other people sick, avoid getting sick yourself so maybe masking in certain situations,” Wu said.
COVID-19 in Connecticut
Sosa said that in addition to the COVID-19 vaccine, there are also treatments available by seeing a doctor.
“If somebody is at higher risk for COVID-19 complications, so that includes hospitalizations and they do get sick or they do get exposed, it’s definitely important for them to go to their healthcare provider and make sure they get tested because they could be able to get that treatment that could prevent them from going into the hospital,” Sosa said.
