How The Coronavirus First Reached CT: Yale Study

CONNECTICUT — Gov. Ned Lamont recently said April would be a "horrible" month for coronavirus cases in Connecticut as the outbreak spreads. As of Sunday, the state already has more than 5,000 confirmed cases, 189 deaths and more than 1,100 hospitalizations.

And as we look toward what is expected to be a very rough few weeks for the state and nation, a new study led by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health looks to the past and studies where and how the virus got to Connecticut and how it spread across the United States.

Some people believe the virus spread largely due to international travel, but it appears the first cases in Connecticut were a result of "domestic spread," according to the new Yale University study.

Yale researchers said nine virus samples were collected from Connecticut's first coronavirus patients between March 6-14. The results indicated that Connecticut's samples "are closely associated with virus samples collected in Washington state ... indicating that transcontinental spread of the virus was occurring by mid-March."

The first confirmed coronavirus case in Washington occurred in late January. The virus first originated in China in late 2019, according to The New York Times.

According to Yale researchers, "We show that early SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Connecticut was likely driven by domestic introductions. Moreover, the risk of domestic importation to Connecticut exceeded that of international importation by mid-March regardless of our estimated impacts of federal travel restrictions. This study provides evidence for widespread, sustained transmission of SARS-CoV-2 within the U.S. and highlights the critical need for local surveillance."

Researchers collected samples from nine COVID-19 patients in Connecticut residing in eight cities.

"According to the Connecticut State Department of Public Health, none of the cases were associated with international travel," researchers concluded. (To sign up for free, local breaking news alerts from more than 100 Connecticut communities, click here.)

They added, "Importantly ... our data indicate that by early to mid March there had already been interstate spread during the early COVID-19 epidemic in the U.S."

Lead researcher Nathan Grubaugh told the Hartford Courant that the virus made its way from Washington to other states including Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts before it reached Connecticut. The flood of newer coronavirus cases to reach Connecticut are likely from New York, Grubaugh told the Hartford Courant.

See also: Here's How Well CT Residents Comply With Stay-At-Home Advisory

Coronavirus: CT Now Has 5,675 Cases, 189 People Have Died

In conclusion, researchers said the U.S. needs a unified approach to handling further domestic virus spread: "This effort must ensure that states have sufficient personal protective equipment, sample collection materials, and testing reagents, as these supplies enable effective surveillance. Finally, state and local-level policymakers must recognize that the health and well-being of their constituents are contingent on that of the nation. If spread between states is now common, as our results indicate, the U.S. will struggle to control COVID-19 in the absence of a unified surveillance strategy."

There are still nine states that have not issued stay-at-home orders including: Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota, according to Forbes. Wyoming, Utah, Oklahoma, and South Carolina have issued partial stay-at-home orders, Forbes reported.

>>>Read the 14-page Yale study here.