Connecticut governor predicts omicron won’t lead to surge in hospitalizations in state

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) on Sunday predicted that his state will be able to avoid another surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations, pointing to the high rate of vaccination that has been achieved so far.

Appearing on CBS’s “Face the Nation” Lamont said the omicron case that was detected in Connecticut is mild and that the infected individual does not require hospitalization. Host Margaret Brennan asked Lamont how concerned he was about a wider infection in his state.

“I’m concerned. Look, omicron is coming up from New York on the I-95 corridor, but delta’s coming down from New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, And no state is an island and no country is our island,” said Lamont.

“So good news is we have 95 percent of our folks over the age of 12 have had some vaccines. So I think we are prepared and I’d like to think that we’re not going to have the surge in hospitals you see in some less vaccinated states,” he added.

Connecticut is situated between to major cities of NYC and Boston. @GovNedLamont tells @margbrennan he’s “concerned” about the potential for spread of #Omicron up the East Coast and in the I-95 corridor. pic.twitter.com/5t35TbwQc4

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) December 5, 2021

Brennan asked Lamont if he was considering mandating booster shots for  those living in assisted living facilities. According to Lamont, this sort of measure was complicated as Connecticut is struggling to retain nurses in such places.

“We’re having a hard time keeping nurses getting nurses in the nursing homes. Some wings are closing down and they’re turning back some patients. So I’ve got to get the right balance,” said the governor.

Lamont also stated that he has seen an increase in booster dose administration since news of omicron first broke.

“Look, we’ve tried a lot of incentives to get people vaccinated. You know. you had a drinks on us, other people did lotteries. Nothing gets people vaccinated and boostered like the fear of another variant coming,” said Lamont.