Pass the cranberry sauce but don’t pass the virus at your Thanksgiving feast this year, health officials warn.
Now Hartford HealthCare (HHC) is offering holiday hosts a handy chart showing their risk of being infected by COVID-19 at Thanksgiving in Connecticut, broken down by county.
HHC used a tool from Georgia Tech University to calculate COVID-19 infection risk for holiday parties of 10 and 15 people, respectively. The percentage is based on the reported level of cases in each Connecticut county and assumes that there are five times more cases out there than are being reported.
Hartford County Thanksgiving gatherings of 10 people face a 20% risk of infection, rising to 28% with groups of 15.
Fairfield County, at 24% for groups of 10 people and 34% for 15, ranks at the top for the state, followed by New Haven County with 23% and 32%.
New London County celebrants face the lowest risk, at 14% for 10 people and 21% for larger gatherings.
“Conventional Thanksgiving is a high-risk activity,” says Keith Grant, HHC‘s director of infection prevention. “You should identify risk factors for each guest, whether they have comorbidities or other risk factors. It’s risk stratification.”
Now pass the gravy, please.
