Community Level Designation
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classifies Barnstable County as being at a low 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.
Reported Case Counts and Deaths
Town of Barnstable: 12,625 total cases (positive residents) cumulatively to date, 86 new cases during the last two weeks (LOWER). Average daily incidence rate 12.6 per 100,000 (LOWER); positivity rate 9.7% (LOWER).
Barnstable County: 49,369 cases, 351 new cases in the last two weeks; 773 deaths cumulatively, 8 deaths during the last two weeks.
Massachusetts: 2,018,344 cases of State of Massachusetts residents cumulatively to date, 8,300 cases in the last two weeks; 22,217 deaths cumulatively, 210 deaths in the past two weeks, 85 new confirmed deaths during the past seven days. The average age of death during the past week was 79 years old.
United States: According to John Hopkins University, there have been a total of 103,357,608 positive COVID-19 cases cumulatively in the United States, 1,119,508 nationwide deaths cumulatively as of February 24, 2023.
Local Hospitalizations
There were a total of fourteen (14) patients being treated for COVID-19 at Cape Cod and Falmouth hospitals on February 23, 2023. This number represents a 26% percent reduction compared to the number of patients being treated at these two hospitals during previous week. Three (3) of the fourteen patients were in intensive care.
National Update
Deaths and hospitalizations in the United States decreased by 15% and 5%, respectively, compared to the previous week according to data provided by the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Also, the number of new positive cases decreased by 9% compared to the previous week.
Global Update
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 5.3 million new cases and over 48,000 deaths were reported globally in the last 28 days (from January 23 to February 19, 2023), a decrease of 89% and 62%, respectively, compared to the previous 28 days. As of 19 February 19, 2023, over 757 million confirmed cases and over 6.8 million deaths have been reported globally.
Prevention Steps
The following prevention steps are recommended by the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at all COVID -19 Community Levels:
- Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines.
- Maintain ventilation improvements.
- Avoid contact with people who have suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
- Follow recommendations for isolation if you have suspected or confirmed COVID-19 (stay at home for five days, do not travel, wear a mask, etc).
- Follow the recommendations for what to do if you are exposed to someone with COVID-19 (i.e. wear a mask, get tested if you develop symptoms).
- If you are at high risk of getting very sick, talk with a healthcare provider about additional prevention actions.
Respectfully submitted,
Thomas McKean, RS, CHO,
Director of Public Health
TOWN OF BARNSTABLE