Number of cases in Baystate Medical Center coronavirus outbreak rises to 55
More than 50 infections have been tied to a recent coronavirus outbreak at Baystate Medical Center but the outbreak has not spread beyond the affected unit, hospital officials said Monday.
Dr. Mark Keroack, president and CEO of Baystate Health, said the outbreak — which totaled 36 COVID-19 infections a week ago — has now climbed to 55 known cases. The figure includes 33 employees and 22 patients at a 37-bed, non-coronavirus unit at the Springfield hospital. Read the full story here: https://www.masslive.com/coronavirus/2020/08/number-of-cases-in-baystate-medical-center-coronavirus-outbreak-rises-to-55.html
Travel Order: Starting August 1, all visitors and Massachusetts residents returning home, including students returning to campuses for the fall semester, must fill out a “Massachusetts Travel Form” and quarantine for 14 days unless they are coming from a COVID-19 lower risk state or they can produce a negative COVID-19 test result administered no more than 72 hours prior to arriving in Massachusetts, or they are included in one of the other, limited exemptions. Individuals who get a test must remain in quarantine until they receive their negative test results. Failure to comply may result in a $500 fine per day.
Travelers are exempt from this requirement if they are coming from a state that has been designated by the Department of Public Health as a lower risk COVID-19 state or fall into another narrow exemption category. The travel order and other information is available at https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-travel-order
Free COVID Testing Available in Springfield and Agawam Until August 14th
The Commonwealth is launching a strategic testing program in communities across Massachusetts that have continued to see a higher number of residents testing positive for COVID-19. Springfield and Agawam are two of those communities. Get the full information here: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/stop-the-spread
As COVID-19 rate rises, American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts calls for remote start to 2020-2021 school year
Another Massachusetts teachers union is calling for school districts to start remotely, citing the slow rise of COVID-19 rates, testing delays and lack of proper ventilation in school buildings as red flags.
The American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, a union of 23,000 educators, raised concerns about the increasing number of COVID-19 cases, which Massachusetts Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders called a “slow creep” during last week’s news conference. As of Sunday, the state’s positive test rate over seven days rose to 2.2%, in part due to increases over the weekend . Read the full report here: https://www.masslive.com/coronavirus/2020/08/as-covid-19-rate-rises-american-federation-of-teachers-massachusetts-calls-for-remote-start-to-2020-2021-school-year.html
Currently there are 1004 positive COVID cases in Holyoke <1% increase
7477 confirmed cases in Hampden County < 1% increase
1139 in Hampshire <1% increase
405 in Franklin –no change
657 in Berkshire –no change
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 4-6 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/
Massachusetts has now experienced a total of 8,427 deaths among the 110,595 confirmed Covid-19 cases. *Massachusetts is now reporting “probable” Coronavirus deaths in addition to confirmed cases.