STOP THE SPREAD TESTING SITES EXTENDED TESTING THROUGH OCT. 31ST
WALK UP COVID-19 Testing Site in Holyoke
A new walk-up COVID testing site opened in Holyoke at 323 Appleton St. Testing hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 2pm to 6pm. Testing will run until 10/31/20.
DRIVE UP COVID-19 Testing Site in Holyoke
A Stop the Spread test has opened at Holyoke Community College. Testing will run until 10/31/20.
– The site will operate Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 7am – 11am. Tuesday and Thursday 2pm -7pm.
– Turnaround time for results is typically 4 days or fewer.
– This test site is first come, first serve. There are no appointments. Please do not call the Health Department or Holyoke Community College to make an appointment.
– The test site at Holyoke Community College is a drive-through only test site. Please do not get out of your vehicle. Signage and Campus Police will be readily apparent to help you access the site easily.
– To help speed up the process, please have your information ready. They will ask for your full name, address (you must be a Massachusetts resident), phone number and email address.
– There is no cost for the testing. You do not need a referral, nor do you need to be symptomatic.
– The test style will be the less invasive swab in the lower nostril. The older style that required further insertion of the swab will not be used.
– If you have previously tested positive, DPH and CDC guidelines do not recommend getting retested at this time.
– If you are acutely symptomatic, particularly if you have a high fever, consider scheduling a test with your Primary Care Physician.
– Information on all of the Stop the Spread test sites across the State can be found at: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/stop-the-spread
Massachusetts reports 568 new COVID cases, 23 deaths as experts fear ‘third peak’ across US
State health officials confirmed another 568 coronavirus cases on Thursday, bringing the statewide count to 138,651. That’s based on 14,737 new molecular tests, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Officials also announced another 23 COVID-related deaths, for a total of 9,452 since the start of the pandemic.
There are currently 503 reported COVID-related hospitalizations, and 92 patients in intensive care, according to the latest data.
The seven-day average of positive tests is now 1.3%, which is up from a low of 0.8% just last month.
New COVID cases are rising in 41 U.S. states, with 17 seeing precipitous increases, according to the New York Times. No state is seeing a sustained decline, prompting concern among health experts of a “third peak” in cases following increases in the spring in the Northeast and parts of the South in the summer. Read the full story here: https://www.masslive.com/coronavirus/2020/10/massachusetts-reports-568-new-covid-cases-23-deaths-as-experts-fear-third-peak-across-us.html
Mass. Travel Restriction List Hasn’t Changed in Over a Week, Despite Spiking Cases in NY
New York remains listed as a low-risk state on Massachusetts’ travel order, even as the state is dealing with a major spike in cases and hospitalizations.
The Massachusetts COVID-19 travel order page was last updated on Oct. 3, more than 10 days ago, when Colorado, New Jersey and New Mexico were removed from the lower-risk states and the District of Columbia was added as low-risk.
The remaining low-risk states other than D.C. are New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Connecticut. Rhode Island is the only New England state not categorized as low risk.
The list is typically updated weekly, but the state said no adjustments were made last week. Read the full story here: https://www.nbcboston.com/news/coronavirus/mass-travel-restriction-list-hasnt-changed-in-over-a-week-despite-spiking-cases-in-ny/2211791/
As of today there are currently 1217 positive COVID cases in Holyoke < 1% increase
Weekly Public Health Report (Updated Wednesday) Contains town-by-town numbers, long-term care facility information, and more: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-response-reporting#covid-19-weekly-public-health-report-
Massachusetts comprehensive daily “dashboard” illustrating the spread of this virus across regions and demographics: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-response-reporting#covid-19-daily-dashboard-
Testing has a turnaround time of 1-5 days and many cases are being clinically diagnosed (no testing or reporting involved). All are advised to behave as though they are carriers of Covid-19.
The curve we need to flatten: County numbers graphed over time can be found here: https://www.wmasscovid.com/
As of today Massachusetts had experienced a total of 9,452 deaths among the 138,651 confirmed Covid-19 cases.