July 30, 2020
The successful approach for addressing community needs during the COVID-19 pandemic has become the pairing of local organizations with influence and the expertise and resources of Hartford HealthCare (HHC), according to system President and CEO Jeff Flaks. The latest example, he said, is a commitment by the quasi-public organization Connecticut…
July 07, 2020
COVID-19 has redefined risky behavior. So how do we know what’s more risky: getting a haircut, eating inside a restaurant, traveling by plane or shaking someone’s hand? Trick question. They’re equally risky to our health, according to a new risk-assessment chart produced by the Texas Medical Association COVID-19 Task Force and…
July 06, 2020
WINDHAM – After years of declining births and recruitment challenges, the Windham Hospital Birthing Center is seeking State approval to no longer provide childbirth services. The rest of the pregnancy experience remains the same, with prenatal and postpartum care continuing at Windham Hospital. The hospital, which ranks last in Connecticut…
June 30, 2020
The good news is that Connecticut is heralded as one of two states, with neighboring Rhode Island, experiencing a consistent decline in COVID-19 cases. The not-so-good news is the World Health Organization revelation that “the worst is yet to come.” WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pointed to the…
June 26, 2020
The summer season is officially underway and whether you’re spending the Fourth of July holiday weekend at home – again! – or widening your world in some way, chances are you’ll be trying to socialize sometime soon. COVID-19 social distancing guidelines have kept us largely at home. As infection rates…
June 24, 2020
Wearing a mask in public during the COVID-19 pandemic is great advice. But please don’t wear blinders when reading about the coronavirus, because a lot of the information bouncing around the Internet is inaccurate. Like these 19 COVID-19 myths: 1. You can’t catch COVID-19 unless you’re near someone infected with…
June 18, 2020
Telemedicine was not a new concept when the COVID-19 pandemic locked society down in March, it was simply underutilized. “I’ve been using virtual visits for several years now with my pacemaker patients,” said Dr. Steven Zweibel, system director of cardiac electrophysiology for the Hartford HealthCare (HHC) Heart & Vascular Institute….
June 17, 2020
Some people fight it, but you can’t beat a mask for preventing the spread of COVID-19 in public when social distancing isn’t possible. Here’s some evidence: A study released this week in Health Affairs, a peer-reviewed healthcare journal, found that masks prevented as many as 230,000 to 450,000 COVID-19 cases…
June 10, 2020
Here is an edited version of a recent question-and-answer session with Dr. Faiqa Cheema, a Hartford HealthCare infectious disease specialist for Courant.com subscribers: Q: What are the odds of a recurrence of the pandemic in the fall? A: It is very possible to see a second wave of coronavirus that may…
June 09, 2020
News that Connecticut’s COVID-19 “positivity rate,” or the number of people testing positive for the virus, is down seems like great news – maybe even cause for celebration that the virus is gone for good – but understanding the numbers tells a more cautionary tale. Dr. Ajay Kumar, chief clinical…
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