Processing Your Payment

Please do not leave this page until complete. This can take a few moments.

March 31, 2021

YNHH: COVID age demographics shift 

PHOTO | File image Yale New Haven Hospital.
By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo

The Yale New Haven Health System is now seeing its COVID-19 in-patient population demographics shift to younger victims, a trend leaders attributed to more older residents getting vaccinated.

CEO Marna P. Borgstrom said Tuesday that older individuals previously made up most of the COVID in-patients in the system’s hospitals, including Yale New Haven Hospital, Bridgeport Hospital, Greenwich Hospital, Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London and  Westerly Hospital in Rhode Island.

That’s no longer the case, she said. 

Dr. Thomas Balcezak, executive vice president and chief clinical officer, noted that more of the state’s older population is vaccinated and protected.

Gov. Ned Lamont’s office on Monday reported that 41% of all adults over the age of 16 in Connecticut had received at least one vaccine dose, including 80% of people over the age of 65, 61% of people between the ages of 55-64; and 38% of people between the ages of 45-54.

“Our hospitals used to be filled with people 55 and up, now they are younger, which is largely due to (older people getting) vaccinations,” Balcezak said.

Since early February, the age demographic for the Yale New Haven Health system COVID inpatient population has been more evenly distributed across age groups, officials said. Inpatients under the age of 35 represent 16%; age 35 to 44, 12%; age 45 to 54, 13%; age 55 to 64, 20%; age 65 to 74, 17%; and age 75 and above, 21%.

When comparing COVID admissions in late December to February to the more recent population, there has been more than a 70%  reduction in patients over the age of 65, according to health officials.

“We are seeing a reinforcement of the value of getting vaccinated,” Borgstrom said. “It is working, and we are seeing the results, and we want to get that message out there.”

Meanwhile, hospitalizations have been climbing in recent weeks, and officials said Tuesday there are six children with COVID who are in-patients. Balcezak reported that a 21-year-old was recently intubated.

“Now, it is hitting a much younger population much harder,” Balcezak said.

Borgstrom attributed the rising number of cases to certain populations not having access to vaccines because of their age and the rollout schedule. As of April 1, all Connecticut residents 16 and older are eligible to get vaccinated. Also, Borgstrom noted that new strains of the virus now found here, such as the U.K. variant, are more easily transmitted.

According to Balcezak, the key is to get everyone in Connecticut vaccinated.

“We are concerned about the variants and the uptick in cases over the last couple of weeks,” Balcezak said. 

How quickly everyone age 16 and over in Connecticut can get vaccinated depends on vaccine supply, but officials estimated it could be accomplished by this summer.

Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com.

Sign up for Enews

Most Recent

Most Recent

0 Comments

Order a PDF