PROVIDENCE – Gov. Gina M. Raimondo on Friday said that four different metrics will be used to measure how the coronavirus pandemic is spreading throughout the state during the three different phases of reopening. These metrics include hospital capacity, new hospitalizations, the rate of speed and doubling rate of hospitalizations.
Raimondo emphasized that not overrunning hospitals is her priority by keeping less than 70% of hospital beds filled in order to consider moving onto the next phase. However, she said if 85% or more beds are filled in hospitals, then she said that the state would consider moving back a phase.
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“The thing we really have to prevent is overwhelming our hospital system,” said Raimondo.
While the state is almost a week into the first phase of reopening the economy after the stay-at-home advisory was lifted last Saturday, Raimondo said she is confident that reopening is going well. She said she looks to start the second phase in early June if all continues to go well, outlining that she plans on about a month in between phases, backpedaling on her original suggestion that phase one would last about two weeks.
The rate of speed, or “R value,” which Raimondo said is “absolutely in our control,” by continuing to wear masks, good hand washing, staying at least six feet away from others and not congregating, getting tested for the coronavirus if someone is sick and being isolated if the test comes back positive.
The “R” value, which measures how many people one sick person infects, is currently at a balanced place, with a value of 1 to 1 or just below 1, according to Raimondo. She said just two months ago, the R value was 1 to about 3.5.
“I am very optimistic about reopening our economy,” said Raimondo.
Cases of COVID-19 in Rhode Island increased by 203 to total 12,219 on Thursday, the R.I. Department of Health said Friday.
Deaths due to the virus rose by 11 day to day to total 479. The day’s death age ranges spread from people in their 60s to those in their 90s, according to R.I. Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott.
Current hospitalizations due to COVID-19 totaled 272, a day-to-day increase of one. Of those hospitalized, 63 were in the intensive care unit, marking a two-patient decline day to day, and 41 patients were on ventilators, a day-to-day decline of one.
The dropping in hospitalizations are “exactly what we want to be seeing,” said Raimondo.
Rhode Island conducted 3,377 tests Thursday, bringing the state total to 104,978.
Dr. Alexander-Scott did address the Abbott tests, which are the rapid coronavirus tests that have been brought into question by the FDA for accuracy issues. She said the state’s laboratories did validate the tests when they were introduced in Rhode Island, with an 11% positivity rating, which is the same for all the state’s tests done at all sites.
“The key for us is staying in front of this as a state,” said Dr. Alexander-Scott, and emphasized that identifying people who have the novel virus quickly and getting them into isolation is the tests’ greatest value.
This story has been updated to include details from the governor’s press conference.
