Yale-New Haven physicians and infectious disease experts are recommending against large Thanksgiving gatherings as the number of COVID-19 cases increases in the hospital network's service area.

The Yale New Haven Health staff members, speaking during a news conference on Tuesday, said eastern Connecticut is currently a "hot spot" for the virus. At the time, L+M Hospital was treating 11 patients for COVID-19 and Westerly Hospital was treating six patients for the virus. Westerly's peak number of COVID-19 patients was eight patients on April 23.

"Human connection and family is so important, but at this point I just don't feel comfortable with a large gathering," said Dr. Thomas Balcezak, chief medical officer of Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Avoiding large groups, wearing a face mask, and social distancing are all advised to help slow the spread, Balcezak said.

"It is still very important to double down on these public heath measures like mask-wearing. We didn't know that it worked in the first part of this pandemic, but there is now scientific certainty that mask-wearing and social distancing work. There's no question about that," Balcezak said.

Some medical experts believe masks may also help reduce the amount of virus individuals are exposed to, leading to less serious infections, Balcezak said.

Doctors have also made strides in treating the disease, which may explain why patients seem to be experiencing less severe cases, Balcezak said. The improved treatment approaches include use of steroids, proning or placing patients on ventilators on their stomachs, better administration of oxygen therapies, and improved management of secondary infections, Balcezak said.

Models point to an increase in cases in the colder months, but it is unclear when the second wave of cases might peak, Balcezak said.

"The second wave can be worse than the first. That is certainly what they saw in 1918," Balcezak said, referring to the flu pandemic of 1918.

Balcezak urged individuals to get a flu shot, saying the medical community remains concerned that the current flu season will mix with the COVID-19 pandemic to overwhelm hospitals.

The use of masks may be necessary for the foreseeable future, Balcezak said, even if a vaccine becomes available, because some vaccines stop individuals from becoming sick but do not stop infection, meaning individuals who have been vaccinated could still potentially spread the virus.

"It may be that even though we have a vaccine, there will be a time when people will still be contagious," Balcezak said.

Dr. Onyema Ogbuagu, an infectious disease specialist, reviewed Yale Health's participation in vaccine trials, including one of a vaccine being developed by Pfizer Inc., which he said appears to "be somewhat in the lead" ahead of others that are also in clinical trials. The Pfizer vaccine is being tested on adults and children over 12. Some of the test patients have diabetes and other conditions that cause compromised immune systems, he said.

The Pfizer vaccine involves the use of embryonic stem cells, which were also used to test vaccines used to fight shingles and Rubella. The cell lines being used were generated years before the COVID-19 outbreak, Ogbuago said. If the Pfizer vaccine is approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration, it will be manufactured using "traditional materials," Balcezak said.

It is likely, Ogbuago said, that other vaccines that did not use embryonic stem cells will eventually be approved, he said.

Marna Borgstrom, CEO of Yale-New Haven Health System, acknowledged the work of the Yale Health system's employees.

"The staff is working incredibly hard and they are just so unbelievably dedicated," she said.

The Yale panel was asked about a recent comment by President Donald J. Trump, who suggested hospitals in the country have an incentive for inflating the number of COVID-19 caused deaths that occur in their facilities in order to receive additional funding.

"It is illogical, if we report deaths, to think that we are going to get more money for deaths. It is impossible to figure out why he said that, along with, probably, several other things," Borgstrom said.

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Yale Health advises against large Thanksgiving gatherings; eastern Connecticut now considered a 'hot spot' - The Westerly Sun