Common sense approach encouraged amid increase in Connecticut COVID cases

COVID-19 is still spreading in Connecticut, according to healthcare professionals, based on wastewater data and hospitalizations.

For some, COVID is a thing of the past and something to navigate.

“I try my best to be aware from people and I take care of myself,” said Seli Prazies, of West Hartford.

"We're probably gonna get new variants, new strains, and we just have to work around it,” said George Nassour, of West Hartford.

But for others, like one educator we spoke with, COVID still has daily impacts.

"We're always concerned with kids coming back and staff coming back and still being contagious because then it’s this cycle of people are absent,” said the educator.

“The main thing is - if you’re sick, try not to get other people sick,” said Dr. Ulysses Wu, chief epidemiologist at Hartford Healthcare.

Dr. Wu says the seasonal COVID spike is a little early this year, which is confirmed by an increased amount of ventilator use, stays in the ICU and general hospitalization.

“We know that hospitalizations are just the tip of the iceberg, that there are vast amounts of cases that are either not reported, not tested or asymptomatic,” said Wu. “Common sense is the best thing that we should take. We don't want to pretend that the disease doesn't exist. We also don't want to hide in our house.”

With school just around the corner, the state defers to CDC guidance for the new year.

The guidance for this year for illness in general consists of hand washing, air ventilation and staying home when sick.

The CDC guidance recommends wearing masks if you’re around symptomatic people or if it’s your preference.

The Department of Public Health also encourages getting another COVID vaccination this fall.

"If you just had COVID, getting the COVID shot three months after you had COVID is probably advisable,” said Dr. Manisha Juthani, the Commissioner of the Department of Public Health.

Hartford Healthcare also encourages people to get vaccinated for RSV and flu this fall season in addition to COVID – that’s because last fall they saw an increase in hospitalizations for all three of those illnesses.