The next surge of coronavirus in Connecticut will be more manageable, according to one local doctor. Nuvance Health CEO Dr John Murphy says the next peak is expected in mid-January, but he notes that health care workers have learned to treat the disease. Now when patients arrive, they’re given anti-coagulant medication early as they're at a higher risk of potentially fatal blood clotting.
He says the percentage of people testing positive back in March, April and May who were under age 18 was 4 percent, now it's a quarter of everyone testing positive. Murphy added that the average person admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 in May and June stayed about two weeks, and now it's just under 7 days. He says they also have fewer comorbidities.
Murphy noted that with he holidays coming, there is a tendency for people to gather, potentially with out-of-state visitors. He warned of a second peak in mid-January. Murphy says the prediction is based on six different models after the second wave in the fall and winter. Murphy says the state is in for a “tough winter.”
The state has seen a steady uptick in cases of COVID-19 recently, but the average of those testing positive is 2.2 percent.
He notes that many more individuals are wearing masks. Even if you are going to get sick, Murphy says it is likely you get less severely ill because the size of the viral exposure is significantly reduced by wearing a mask.
