Updated 3:30 pm
There are eight positive cases for COVID-19 on the Island, Denise Schepici, CEO of Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, told reporters in a conference call Monday.
All of the patients are at home recovering, she said.
The hospital has tested 91 people with 73 of those tests coming back negative for the virus. There are 10 tests pending and zero hospitalizations. No healthcare workers have tested positive for coronavirus, Schepici said.
The increase in confirmed cases comes as the turnaround time for test results has improved. Previously, Schepici said test results took three days — now results are coming back to the hospital in 24 hours.
On Monday, the Department of Public Health (DPH) released its daily count of confirmed cases and deaths due to COVID-19 showing an additional 797 cases in Massachusetts and the number of deaths at 56, an increase of 8. With 797 new cases in Massachusetts, the total confirmed case count is 5,752. Almost 43,000 people in the state have been tested. (The chart still connects Dukes and Martha’s Vineyard counties showing just eight cases between the two, an indication that the DPH stats are behind.)
At about the same time Schepici was announcing the five additional positive cases on-Island, Maura Valley, health agent for Tisbury, issued a press release confirming that number, as well. Valley said due to a directive from the state Department of Public Health, the boards of health on the Island will no longer release which town the patients live in. The first positive test on the Island was in Tisbury and the second was in West Tisbury.
Schepici told reporters the hospital will begin providing the number of tests and the results on a daily basis.
Schepici thanked the community for the outpouring of support especially in the form of donations, but said they were no longer accepting food donations.
“Unfortunately we’re not able to accept any food coming into the hospital,” Schepici said. “To avoid any potential spread of the virus. We hope everyone understands and we do really appreciate the good intentions.”
Claire Seguin, chief clinical and quality officer at the hospital, said patients who come into the hospital are treated based on the severity of their illness. Patients that are severely ill and are experiencing respiratory distress are treated with critical care to keep them breathing and ventilated. Other patients with high fevers are given supportive care which means receiving hydration with IV fluids, supplemental oxygen, and a person watching them.
“We are planning to receive either of those types of patients. The more critically ill versus the more supportive care,” Seguin said. The hospital also has plans with Massachusetts General Hospital to prioritize the Island’s sickest patients for transfer.
The hospital is also working with town health agents to monitor people who are infected with COVID-19, but are self-quarantining at home.
The hospital gives patients returning home a package containing a thermometer, a mask, and instructions on how to self-quarantine. Board of health officials are also calling in on people who are self-quarantining to make sure they have what they need.
In terms of contact tracing, Schepici said the hospital’s relationship with the boards of health is “very good.” Seguin agreed.
“The relationships are good, fluid, tight, and using MAVIN which is a tool form the CDC for tracking to communicate as well.
The hospital is also working on predictive modeling as part of its surge planning preparations. A surge would happen if the number of patients ill or coming to the hospital exceeds the hospital’s capacity to treat those patients.
The Island’s hospital is receiving help from MGH’s epidemiology unit for its predictive modeling. Seguin stressed that this was modeling specifically designed for hospitals in their preparations for a surge.
“This is predictive modeling for hospital surging,” Seguin said. “This is like hospital numbers not community public health surge.”
It gives the hospital officials information what hospitalizations could look like if the public did not follow social distancing.
“It’s not perfect, but it does help us and it helps [MGH] and other Partners hospitals understand what they need to prepare for for us to transfer,” Seguin. “I’m being really transparent here, but I just want to be clear this is not like Martha’s Vineyard level this is hospital level.”
Seguin said the hospital would most likely not share information from their predictive modeling because it was “technical” and “hospital-based.”
Schepici reiterated the need to continue social distancing, washing hands, and only going out if it’s for the grocery store, pharmacy, or necessity.
“This is why we urged the governor to do a travel ban because people are flocking from places like New York that have such high incidents. We’re just assuming everyone is positive so the quarantine is essential,” Schepici said. “Assume everybody’s positive. Stay away, if you have symptoms quarantine, and keep up the good practices of social distancing.”
Updated with more information from conference call. -ed.
Just curious about the positives….we all know know the first case was someone from out of state. I think in all fairness, you should give us a breakdown (with anonymity) of the people who are positive. Did they travel off island via SSA, plane, train or bus? Were they exposed to someone who was sick? Did they get sick from sharing the tent outside the ER of MVH? or Did they just simply get sick while they were doing all the right things to stay safe?
The virus doesn’t care about fairness. Everyone can do their part by please staying home and social distancing if you must go out.
Please help urge the Governor to place a travel plan on travel tr Martha’sVineyard. Only residents (with proof of residency) of the Island should be able to travel there right now. The people who own summer homes there say the love the Island, but are not thinking about the best for the Vineyard by traveling here and bringing the coronavirus here.PLease stay where you are and quarantine.
There should be fairness in it all. What about the next hotspot and the next and so on? What about the islanders coming to the mainland? Are you self sufficient? If off islanders come there and self quarantine that really should be ok. Everyone must understand that the virus is out there and the number of tests only mean those tested. Many person with no symptoms will not be tested and would be positive if they were. If you think only 8 people on island have it your wrong, by far. But, it is best for the next 3 weeks or so that no “outsiders” come on island and I think their taxes, mortgages and utilities should be forgiven for the period as an incentive. I know so many of their generous donations and tax based has allowed the island to thrive so if we ban them we need to give them something, otherwise it’s unconstitutional to ban persons who don’t live on island full time from coming.
Good update with many details. Thank you.
Proud American, I agree that we should be given more information. This is a pandemic and we deserve to know all that we can. Were these people from off island? where had they traveled? Are the eight positive under quarantine? They should be to protect all of us and especially the immuno compromised and the elderly and people with underlying medical conditions. These are different times and we must adapt. I have self quarantined for over three weeks. Have gone NOWHERE. I ordered food and necessary items and I am hunkered down until I hear an all clear. Not everyone can do, or has done that, so it is mandatory that we know every possible bit of information. Medical privacy is important but so are the lives of the people in the community.
PS NY has 9 million people or more, if 1 million have it, that leaves a whole lot without it. Let’s put white banners around them, they all must be sick!! Look, quarantine for 14 days as an abundance of caution will do the trick. Heck, with the new 15 minute testing, give them a test before coming, but don’t ban people – this is not who we are supposed to be.
Last piece: “summer residents” is not a legal term/ they pay taxes and portably a lot more than anyone here full time. They own a home they can come with precautions, it’s their home. Many I know plan to retire here or make a life here but we should ban them to. In fact, anyone not born on MV should get out. Sound a lot like a madman the world once knew!! Horrible