Incidence Rate in the Town of Barnstable
The average daily COVID-19 incidence rate of Town of Barnstable residents, calculated from case reports received during the past fourteen days, slightly increased to an average of nine (9) new cases per day (see right side of graph below).
Local, County, State, and Nationwide Cumulative Case Counts and Death Counts
Town of Barnstable: 11,360 total cases (positive residents) cumulatively to date, 126 new cases during the last two weeks.
Barnstable County: 44,193 cases cumulatively to date resulting in 660 deaths of Barnstable County residents. This includes five (5) deaths of Barnstable County residents during the past two weeks.
Massachusetts: 1,878,650 cases of State of Massachusetts residents cumulatively to date, 20,292 confirmed deaths.
United States: According to John Hopkins University, there have been a total of 96,347,008 positive COVID-19 cases cumulatively in the United States resulting in 1,059,288 deaths nationwide as of September 29th.
Hospitalizations in Barnstable County
Cape Cod Healthcare reported to us today that there were a total of thirty-two (32) patients who were being treated for COVID-19 at Cape Cod and Falmouth hospitals on September 29th. Two (2) of the thirty-two patients were in intensive care.
Hospitalizations in Massachusetts
According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, on September 27th there were a total of 245 patients primarily hospitalized for COVID-19 in Massachusetts. In total, there were 694 patients hospitalized with COVID -19. Of those 694 patients, 449 patients (65%) were reported to be fully vaccinated when they contracted COVID-19.
Deaths of Massachusetts Residents, Past Week
There were forty-one (41) new, confirmed deaths of Massachusetts residents during the past seven days. The average age of death was 80 years old.
Vaccination and Booster Status/ Barnstable County Residents
Seventy-nine (79) percent of the Barnstable County residents are fully vaccinated. Sixty-three (63%) of Barnstable County residents received booster doses after being fully vaccinated, compared to 59% of the Massachusetts population and compared to 49% of the national population. These percentages haven’t changed in several weeks.
COVID-19 Community Level Designation & Recommendations:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to classify Barnstable County as being at a medium COVID-19 community level. Community levels can be low, medium, or high and are determined by looking at hospital admissions and the total number of COVID-19 cases in an area.
The following prevention steps are recommended by the CDC:
• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines;
• Get tested if you have symptoms.
• If you are at high risk for severe illness, talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions
Also, people may choose to wear a mask at any time. Currently, in Massachusetts masks continue to be required for both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals at all times in the following locations, subject to the exemptions listed:
1. On transportation provided by the Commonwealth’s Human Service Transportation (HST) Brokerage.
2. Healthcare facilities licensed or operated by the Commonwealth and healthcare practice locations of any provider licensed by a professional board which sits within the Department of Public Health or the Division of Professional Licensure. These settings include nursing homes, rest homes, emergency medical services, hospitals, physician and other medical and dental offices, urgent care settings, community health centers, vaccination sites, and behavioral health clinics. This requirement applies to patients, residents, staff, vendors and visitors. Effective July 1, 2022, masks became optional for residents in nursing homes and rest homes.
3. Certain Health Care and Day Services and Programs operated, licensed, certified, regulated, or funded by the Commonwealth including the Executive Office of Health and Human Services or one of its agencies. These settings include adult day health, day habilitation.
4. Home health care workers, including Personal Care Attendants (PCAs) and Home Health Aides in community and home-based settings where they are providing patient-facing care; provided, however, the requirement shall only apply to the worker providing care.
Respectfully submitted,
Thomas McKean, RS, CHO
Director of Public Health
September 30, 2022 COVID-19 Update | Community Risk Level – Medium
