Why Rhode Islanders Need to Worry About the Coronavirus Numbers
Friday, October 09, 2020
Coronavirus is spreading in Rhode Island and key measures are increasing at a substantial pace.
Hospitalizations of those suffering from the coronavirus have jumped to 117 — in the past month, the number has increased by more than 60 percent.
Former Rhode Island Director of Health Dr. Michael Fine warns that on the existing trajectory the number of hospitalizations could climb to 150 in the next two weeks.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIn addition, the number of daily cases is now running dramatically higher.
In the past month, the state has seen 3,369 new cases. Testing has been inconsistent. In the past week, the number of tests implemented in Rhode Island per day has been as high as 10,000 and as low as just over 2,000.
Increases in Colleges and Nursing Homes
Nursing home cases continue to be a problem area. According to data reported by the Department of Health, there are 11 nursing homes now reporting cases of coronavirus and between 75-79 cases.
The number of nursing homes and assisted living facility-related deaths has climbed to approximately 880.
And Rhode Island's oldest are not the only ones seeing a spike in cases.
The cases continue to rise and fall across colleges and universities in Rhode Island.
While the number of cases at Providence College has decreased, as the University of Rhode Island has increased testing, the cases have dramatically increased.
There are now 530 students in quarantine at URI and this week alone saw 100 new cases.
We Continue to Know So Little
Now comes new data that says Rhode Island -- and the rest of the nation -- was being hit by the infection before health experts detected it.
The Wall Street Journal reports it “interviewed disease detectives and reviewed hundreds of pages of new research to piece together how the coronavirus infiltrated the wealthiest nation on earth. The latest genetic, epidemiological and computational research suggests it was spreading inside the country before anyone started looking.”
The first reported case in Rhode Island was March 1 and it sent Governor Gina Raimondo and health officials scrambling.
For weeks Raimondo told Rhode Islanders not to wear masks for weeks, and then opposed closing down schools and businesses for weeks as cases were exploding in the region.
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