Updated 5:20 pm
A staff member at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital is one of the 11 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on the Island.
Claire Seguin, chief clinical and quality officer, confirmed the case during a conference call with hospital officials and reporters Tuesday morning, but did not elaborate on details citing privacy rules.
“Our numbers remain very low of positives because of all the hard work people are doing with PPE,” Seguin said, referring to personal protective equipment like gloves, masks and face shields.
The hospital’s infection control team is spearheading contact tracing, a process to monitor people that have come in contact with someone that has tested positive for COVID-19. The process inside the hospital is similar to contact tracing for people outside the hospital.
Seguin added that there has been no other impact on staffing at this time. The hospital has been testing doctors and nurses if they meet criteria that requires them to be tested.
“They’re stressed. This is a hard time,” Seguin said of the hospital staff. “With that said, to this point they have superseded any of our expectations. They come to work everyday, they are proud, and they’re doing their part.”
As of Tuesday, the hospital has collected samples for 159 tests, with 11 positive, 126 negative, and 22 pending results. No patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 are currently hospitalized.
Boards of health spokesperson and Tisbury health agent Maura Valley confirmed Monday that of the 11 cases, seven are female and four are male. Six of the positive cases are aged between 50-59 years old and two are in the 60-69 age bracket. The 20-29 and 30-39 brackets each have one case. One person’s age is unknown.
The number of confirmed cases continues to rise across the state. On Tuesday, the Department of Public Health confirmed it has tested nearly 81,000 people. DPH also reported 1,365 new cases to bring the total confirmed positive case count to 15,202. A reported 96 new deaths brings the state total to 356.
The hospital is taking strict steps at Windemere to ensure the safety of its 47 residents. There have been no positive COVID-19 test results for residents at Windemere. All staff and residents are required to wear masks, all residents have been isolated in individual rooms, staff must self-attest everyday that they have no symptoms, and there are separate entrances for staff to come in the building. The hospital’s team at Windemere is also in daily conversation with the Department of Public Health (DPH) to make sure they are following daily guidelines.
“I think that we’ve done really all the things we can possibly do right now for those residents,” Martha’s Vineyard Hospital CEO Denise Schepici said.
While numbers on the Island have remained relatively low, the hospital is preparing itself for a surge in cases, which Schepici said could happen in the next couple weeks.
“I think we’re in a very critical time with our numbers being low. I want to make sure there isn’t a false sense of confidence or protection. I still want everyone to take great, great, great cautionary care,” Schepici said.
Schepici stressed the importance of continued social distancing and proper hand washing.
“I’m cautiously optimistic,” Schepici said. “But it’s not a time for complacency.”
Hospital officials have also been in daily communication with their parent company, Partners Healthcare, about staffing, supplies, and surge planning.
Schepici said the new field hospital being set up at Joint Base Cape Cod was on the hospital’s radar, but at the moment the hospital is only working with Partners on where patients should receive care.
The hospital is also receiving a shipment of N95 masks for their staff, Schepici said.
The masks are part of the shipment of more than one million masks brought to Massachusetts by the Kraft family with use of the New England Patriots private plane. Schepici said she doesn’t know how many masks the Vineyard’s hospital will receive, but she does expect a shipment. She also said about 25 percent of the masks will be kept in storage should hospital’s need backup supplies.
Schepici thanked the Kraft family for their efforts in bringing the much needed supplies to hospitals across the state.
Unemployment benefits, new supermarket rules
At a Tuesday press conference, Gov. Charlie Baker assured that the state was getting closer to allowing those who previously did not qualify to apply for unemployment benefits.
“We’ve gotten some guidance from the feds about how they’re thinking about the gig workers, the folks who aren’t currently in the [unemployment insurance] system, who don’t have a W2 basically have 1099s,” Baker said. “That has made it easier for us to start thinking about how we would stand that up, but there’s additional guidance we’re waiting for and that we need to actually implement the program.”
The incorporation of people who have a 1099 tax form, are self-employed, or work as gig workers is part of the federal government’s $2 trillion CARES Act signed by President Donald Trump on March 27.
Baker added that he would like to have the program worked out this week, but said it all depended on guidance from the federal government.
The state is also going to be issuing guidelines Tuesday evening on how to provide safe environments for customers and workers at grocery stores.
Guidelines will include allowing only 40 percent of maximum occupancy at grocery stores, which includes workers and customers.
Updated to include information from Baker press conference and confirmed cases in Massachusetts. — Ed.
Had to go to the hospital lab today. Hospital sanitation and security procedures are outstanding. Thanks to all of you and keep up the good work.
The idea that our country is so behind in testing is what most threatens our heroes at the hospital. This will not end until there are tests for all. The nurses and doctors are not tested unless they “meet criteria” and that is unacceptable. How will anyone go back to work without being tested? How will an elderly or at-risk person ever safely leave their house? There will be no herd immunity from social distancing. We have no idea who the asymptomatic people are as they unwittingly spread the virus.
I appreciate our hospital, but why so stressed, we have 11 cases and no hospitalizations. No deaths. Are they pulling double shifts? They have a job and a paycheck. I think blue collar workers are justified at being stressed.
“why so stressed…?” I sincerely hope you never have to find out.
Maybe you should try facing incoming visitors/patients, not knowing which one has the virus and which one doesn’t. Fast turn around testing does not exist here. I don’t think you do appreciate the hospital staff and the increased stress levels each visit brings to them.
You know, there are non-professionals and blue collar workers at our hospital as well. They are also heroes putting their life on the line when they go into work every day. Crayon, try thinking beyond yourself. And I believe 2 of the confirmed 11 were flown to Boston.
crayson–why so stressed ??? because more than a thousand people a day are dying in the U.S. from this– and rising — it wasn’t much more than a month ago that our president said “all 15 cases will go away”.And it was less than a month ago that Andrew offered me a thousand dollar wager that corona deaths in the U.S would not even come close to 1,000. Not too surprisingly, he hasn’t honored that bet.. He hasn’t commented here since– I hope he’s ok, but I suspect he is just incapable of honoring any promise he makes.
I wonder if you still think this whole corona thing is a hoax ?
Climate change also ?
I do not know what others are doing, but my friends and I are paying the people who work hourly for us. I encourage those who have the means to do the same. So many people who are paid hourly are always there for us, now is the time to be there for them. Pay it forward.
It’s good that you can pay your people.
When you have skilled labor that make around $30-$40 an hour plus benefits, not all employers can do that.
Crayson, please try to think before you type
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