Lamont Hints At When Coronavirus Restrictions Could Kick In

CONNECTICUT — Seriously ill coronavirus patients are best treated by critical care physicians and nurses with years of experience, but the odds of getting the best care possible will decrease as coronavirus hospitalizations increase. Yale School of Medicine Dr. Manisha Juthani gave the bleak assessment during Gov. Ned Lamont’s coronavirus news conference Monday.

“If you have COVID-19 and you are critically ill, you want one of our pulmonary critical care doctors taking care of you,” Juthani said. “With the influx of patients that we have had, we only have a limited resource of that.”

Juthani was one of the Yale-affiliated doctors who signed an open letter to Lamont urging him to take stronger measures to contain the coronavirus. She spoke personally at the news conference and not as a Yale representative.

Future coronavirus-related restrictions will be tied to hospital capacity, Lamont said. He said there isn't a specific number that would trigger the change, but did point out some states like California, which has had regional restrictions kick in when the region's intensive care capacity hits 85 percent.

"I think that gives you some indication," Lamont said, adding it also depends on how rapidly capacity fills up.

The state could put further restrictions on activities that are known to be spreaders of the virus or curtail elective surgeries at hospitals.

"I understand the governor has to weigh a number of considerations," Juthani said. "But I do have significant concerns that's part of the reason I'm here today, to try and ask the American people to partner with us to be able to put a dent in the curb of this pandemic. Changes I think are going to have to happen."

About half of those admitted to Connecticut hospitals in the past month for COVID-19 are over 70 and half are under 70, Lamont said. The state is averaging 150 new hospital admissions weekly.

Connecticut reported a net increase of 33 coronavirus hospitalizations over the weekend, up to 1,183 patients. Another 78 deaths were reported as well.

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Meals a high-risk activity

Juthani shared three stories of COVID-19 patients she treated — all of them were likely infected during mealtimes. One has been in intensive care for three weeks and counting.

“As an infectious disease doctor, what I know is that certainly meal times are a major high risk event when transmission of this virus can occur,” she said. “Certainly high risk in a restaurant because you could be around others as well who are infecting you, but still even in a household environment.”

One of her patients was a woman in her 60s who was infected by her child in her 30s who lives with her, Juthani said. Her child went to a dinner party with five others and became infected with the virus.

Another patient is in her 70s and lives with her son who is in his 30s. Her son was generally careful, but they had a neighbor over for dinner and the neighbor goes out frequently, she said. They had the neighbor over for dinner a couple times a week; eventually the neighbor became infected.

Her last example was of two women in their 70s who were lonely and wanted to share company. They drove in a car together without masks to get takeout food and brought it back to one of their homes to eat together. Both women later became symptomatic; one was discharged from the hospital after five days and the other is on week three of intensive care.

The stories are reminders about how informal social interactions and small actions can make a big difference.

“I can’t mandate common sense,” Lamont said.

See also: 2 Dead In Wrong-Way Crash In Connecticut: Police

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