Media Statement: Community physician from New York State diagnosed with COVID-19

Bridgeport, CT (March 7, 2020) – The New York Department of Public Health notified Bridgeport Hospital that a community physician from New York State was diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 6, 2020. This physician, who was asymptomatic, saw a limited number of patients at the Bridgeport Hospital Campus last weekend.

We were well prepared for this eventuality and the small number patients who interacted with this physician have been identified and have been notified and are being managed in accordance with CDC guidance. Given the fact that the physician lacked symptoms at the time of his visit to Bridgeport Hospital, the risk to patients, staff and visitors is very low.

Our top priority remains the safety of staff, patients and visitors. This includes making sure all our employees and medical staff across the health system understand how to protect themselves. The Yale New Haven Health Infection Prevention team has detailed resources available online at https://www.ynhhs.org/patient-care/urgent-care/flu-or-coronavirus.

Yale New Haven Health (YNHHS), the largest and most comprehensive healthcare system in Connecticut, is recognized for advanced clinical care, quality, service, cost effectiveness and commitment to improving the health status of the communities it serves. YNHHS includes five hospitals – Bridgeport, Greenwich, Lawrence + Memorial, Westerly and Yale New Haven hospitals, several specialty networks and Northeast Medical Group, a non-profit medical foundation with several hundred community-based and hospital-employed physicians. YNHHS is affiliated with Yale University and Yale Medicine, the clinical practice of the Yale School of Medicine and the largest academic multi-specialty practice in New England. Yale New Haven Hospital is the primary teaching hospital of Yale School of Medicine. www.ynhhs.org