By Paul Hughes, Republican-American
HARTFORD — Connecticut hospitals have discharged 1,250 coronavirus patients since the viral outbreak first hit the state a month ago.
Public health officials reported slightly more than 1,460 patients with coronavirus disease 2019 were hospitalized through mid-day Thursday.
Gov. Ned Lamont shared the number of discharged patients for the first time Thursday since the original laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19 was announced on March 8.
The Department of Public Health reported 1,250 discharges out of the approximately 3,000 COVID-19 patients who were admitted to one of the state’s 27 acute care hospitals.
Lamont observed that the discharged patients represented 42% of all hospital admissions.
“Tragically, about 10% of the people who go to the hospital die,” he said.
The reported number of deaths in the coronavirus outbreak reached 360 Thursday, including 116 nursing home residents. Public health officials reported an additional 45 fatalities from Wednesday.
The reported fatalities only represent deceased patients who tested positive for COVID-19 around the time of death, but the statistic does not signify that the disease caused all of those deaths.
LOCALLY, THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY HEALTH DISTRICT, which serves Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Naugatuck, Seymour and Shelton, reported 66 laboratory-confirmed cases in Naugatuck and 15 in Beacon Falls on Thursday.
State figures released Thursday showed 16 laboratory-confirmed cases in Prospect, which is under the jurisdiction of the Chesprocott Health District.
MANY OF THE SICK neither get tested nor are hospitalized, so the full extent of infections and recoveries will remain unknown.
For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
“There really isn’t a mechanism to track all recoveries,” said Josh Geballe, Lamont’s chief operating officer. “Keep in mind the majority of people who get diagnosed with COVID-19 never go to a hospital. They are sent home to self-recover. There is not a mechanism to track all of those people.”
Public health officials have said the reported positive cases represent a fraction of all people who come down with COVID-19. A total of 33,500 tests have been conducted out of a population of 3.5 million people
“There are many people who will get it and may not even exhibit strong symptoms, or simply stay at home and self-recover. We don’t have the instrumentation to track every person who gets it and when they recover,” Geballe said.
THE DAILY NET INCREASE of 46 hospitalization patients represented the lowest number seen in two weeks.
Lamont said the smaller increase in hospitalizations over the previous 24 hours represented some much-needed good news. He said this trendline has not been rising as steeply as previously forecast, a possible sign that social distancing and other precautions are slowing the spread of coronavirus.
Lamont said he was also encouraged that the number of hospitalizations in hard hit Fairfield County had declined by one patient. The coronavirus first surfaced in the county, and the outbreak has been the most severe there.
“That means there is one less occupied today than there was a day ago, and, Josh reminds me over and over again, one day does not a trend make, but it is a glimmer of hope that perhaps we are reaching in a peak in Fairfield County and what that says about the future,” Lamont said, referring to Geballe.
Lamont and Geballe also reported said they expect to finally receive some long-awaited personal protective equipment that has been on back-order for weeks.
The state has placed 78 orders for 18.8 million pieces of equipment, ranging from N95 respirators to gloves and surgical masks. That’s in addition to 1.8 million units from the national stockpile, which is now closed to states, and 378,000 units that were donated.
Geballe said the cost of the purchases is $50 million, but the federal government will reimburse 75% of the state’s outlay.
Elio Gugliotti contributed to this article.
