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January 6, 2022

Hartford HealthCare: COVID-19 hospitalizations have now surpassed April 2020 peak

Yehyun Kim | CT Mirror Nyasia Porter, a COVID screener, performs a COVID-19 nasal swab test in Hartford.

Hartford HealthCare doctors said Thursday morning that the number of COVID-19 patients at its hospitals has increased and is now at the highest level since the pandemic’s start.

Ajay Kumar, Hartford HealthCare’s chief clinical officer, said that, as of Thursday, HHCs seven hospitals had 466 COVID-19 patients including 58 in critical care units. Of those 466 patients, 172 are at Hartford Hospital and 158 have been vaccinated with two shots. Of those 158 vaccinated patients, only seven individuals had a third booster shot, officials said.

The hospital system’s previous peak of COVID-19 patients was 425 in April 2020.

According to the office of Gov. Ned Lamont, the state’s COVID-19 positivity rate as of Wednesday afternoon stood at 22.6% with hospitalizations at 1,676, up 114 from the day before. In addition, the governor’s office reports, the state has seen 554,812 cases of individuals with COVID-19, up 10,344 from the day before.

Despite the grim numbers, Ulysses Wu, Hartford HealthCare’s chief of infectious disease, said he expects to see “the hospitalization and ICU numbers start to decrease.”

Noting the high number of hospitalized patients who are unvaccinated, HHC officials said vaccination is still the best prevention against contracting the virus and becoming sick.

“It always comes back to vaccines and boosters. They are the best defense against COVID,” said Eric Arlia, president, System Pharmacy, Hartford HealthCare.

Jennifer Ferrand, clinical health psychology and director of wellbeing at the hospital system, spoke on the need to take care of hospital workers.

Ferrand said recent studies showed that 60% to 75% of health clinicians report either exhaustion, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. “Fatigue can be dangerous,” she said.

Ferrand said healthcare worker burnout is a serious concern, noting that HHC offers support and education to its workers. 

“We have a revamped training and education program,” she said. “We are encouraging people to ask for help. The resources (to address concerns) exist internally and externally.”

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