STOP THE SPREAD TESTING SITES EXTENDED TESTING THROUGH DEC. 31ST
WALK UP COVID-19 Testing Site in Holyoke
A 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 12/31/20.
DRIVE UP COVID-19 Testing Site in Holyoke
A Stop the Spread test has opened at Holyoke Community College. Testing will run until 12/31/20.
– 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
Daily COVID Case Number in Mass. Tops 1,000 for 1st Time Since May
Massachusetts confirmed eight new deaths and 1,128 more coronavirus cases Saturday, as the numbers from the Department of Public Health show a continued increase in the number of cases being reported in the state this fall.
The cases reported Saturday mark the first time the state has crossed the 1,000 mark since May 24, and the most in a single day in the commonwealth since May 16, when 1,152 new cases were confirmed.
There have now been 9,616 confirmed deaths and 146,023 cases, according to the Department of Public Health. The percentage of coronavirus tests coming back positive, on average, ticked up slightly to 1.5%, according to Saturday’s report. Read the full story here: https://www.nbcboston.com/news/coronavirus/mass-confirms-1128-more-coronavirus-cases-8-new-deaths/2217649/
13 Massachusetts cities, towns forced to return to Step 1 of Phase 3 of state’s reopening plan after moving to the red zone
On Monday, more than a dozen Massachusetts cities and towns are having to revert back to Step 1 of Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plans after moving to the red zone last week.
Earlier this month the state allowed restrictions to be lifted in lower-risk COVID communities only and enter Step 2 of Phase 3.
Lower-risk communities are those that have not been deemed “red” or higher-risk over the past three weeks on the state’s color-coded map.
Last week, the state announced that 13 communities are to revert back to Step 1 of Phase 3. They include: Acushnet, Brockton, Chelmsford, Holyoke, Hudson, Kingston, Leicester, Malden, Plymouth, Randolph, Waltham, Webster and Woburn.
Step 2 of Phase 3 allowed local businesses to increase capacity to places like gyms, museums, libraries and performance venues. It also allowed places like arcades and recreation businesses that include activities like trampolines, obstacle courses, roller rinks and laser tag to open.
Now many of those businesses will have to either close or scale back capacity, operating as they did this summer when Massachusetts entered Step 1 of Phase 3.
In total, 77 Massachusetts cities and towns are currently considered high risk for coronavirus transmission, according to the state’s COVID risk assessment map. Massachusetts had more than 1,000 COVID cases for two days in a row over the weekend. Read the full story here: https://www.masslive.com/coronavirus/2020/10/13-massachusetts-cities-towns-forced-to-return-to-step-1-of-phase-3-of-states-reopening-plan-after-moving-to-the-red-zone.html
New COVID-19 cases nearly double in Springfield
City officials cited a “very disheartening” spike in coronavirus with new cases of COVID-19 nearly doubling in a single week.
“We are at a very dangerous time right now,” Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said, during the weekly update on COVID-19 at City Hall. “I’m not going to mince any words today. “It is getting very disheartening to see many of our young people, kids and young adults, who are not wearing masks whatsoever.”
There were 211 new COVID-19 cases among Springfield residents during the past week, Oct. 19-25, as compared to 107 cases the prior week, said Helen R. Caulton-Harris, the city’s commissioner of health and human services.
That continued a trend a rising cases throughout the month.
There were 51 new cases on Friday alone, which was the highest number of new cases in Springfield on a single day since May 9, when there were 57 new cases, Caulton-Harris said. Read the full story here: https://www.masslive.com/coronavirus/2020/10/new-covid-19-cases-nearly-double-in-springfield.html
As of today there are currently 1304 positive COVID cases in Holyoke < 2% 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 9,657 deaths among the 148,336 confirmed Covid-19 cases.