⏩ Wilton coronavirus patient in coma, wife says

WILTON — The first Connecticut resident who tested positive for the coronavirus is in a coma at Danbury Hospital, while his wife and twin infant sons are quarantined at home.

The man, who has only been identified by state officials as being in his 40s, began showing symptoms shortly after he returned from a work conference in California on Feb. 28, his wife said in an interview Tuesday with Hearst Connecticut Media, which has agreed to withhold the family’s name.

“Over (that) weekend, he was really tired,” she said.

The woman said her husband had a fever by March 2.

“At first, we thought he had the flu,” she said. But her husband tested negative for that illness, and eventually tested positive for COVID-19.

The man developed pneumonia and is now at Danbury Hospital in a medically induced coma, his wife said.

“We’re just waiting to see how his body fights this illness,” she said.

In the meantime, the woman and her sons have been quarantined in their home for two weeks. The woman said she and the babies haven’t shown any signs of the illness.

Her husband, she said, was so ill when he returned from the conference that he came into contact with few people. She said state authorities retraced his steps and said they “could count on one hand” how many people interacted with him.

Danbury Hospital spokeswoman Amy Forni has withheld the patient’s condition, citing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The patient’s wife said in a Facebook post earlier this week that her husband’s “prognosis is guarded.”

“Keep him in your prayers,” she wrote in the post. “Obviously, both he and I are not accepting visitors and he obviously will not be responding for at least a week while his body rests and heals.”

The man is one of two people in Connecticut so far to test positive for COVID-19. On Tuesday, Gov. Ned Lamont said the second patient is a female in her 60s who is a health care worker at Bridgeport Hospital and a resident of Bethlehem. She recently returned from a trip to Nevada, where it is believed she contracted COVID-19. She is being treated at Bridgeport Hospital.

Bridgeport Hospital spokesman John Cappiello said Tuesday the patient’s condition was “good,” but could give no other details.

Health experts have said that COVID-19 can be particularly dangerous for people age 60 and up and those with certain medical conditions. The Wilton patient has been described as between 40 and 50 years old. His wife said he had an enlarged heart, which did make him more vulnerable to pneumonia. Otherwise, she said, he was in good health.

The woman said she implores people to take precautions to protect themselves and those they come into contact with from the illness.