Updated 5:15 pm
For the sixth day in a row, there were no new confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. With the number of cases holding steady at 12, hospital CEO Denise Schepici is calling on the community not to get complacent.
In an op-ed, Schepici reiterated the importance of staying home and stressed the hospital is not able to handle an increasing population and a worsening pandemic. She also predicted that the Island’s surge will take place soon.
“From our partners at Massachusetts General Hospital, the guidance we are receiving is that ‘we are still one to two weeks away from the peak of hospitalizations.’ Expect it to take weeks for the wave of patients who have been admitted to a hospital to transition to recovery. MGH joins our call that now is not the time to let up on social distancing, because these interventions have saved lives and kept ICU care available.
“Let us agree that this is a time to think of each other and our greater community. I urge everyone to continue to lay low, travel only if absolutely necessary, and let our government and health leaders re- examine our position in two weeks. If we all do our part, we can help stop the spread of COVID-19. Remember, it takes only one.”
During a surge, the hospital will be unable to transfer and deliver most of its specialty services, according to Schepici. Among those services are dialysis, chemotherapy, and other infusion services.
“We are asking people to maintain their care programs at their primary residences, because we have rearranged our hospital so we can safely separate and treat any patient whether their care is COVID-19 related or not. And just as important is providing a secure environment for our exceptional and dedicated staff of doctors, nurses, every member of our team who is supporting all aspects of our clinical care.”
The hospital has collected samples for 206 tests with 188 negative tests and six still pending results, according to Monday’s update. There are currently no patients being hospitalized for COVID-19.
Of those 12 confirmed cases, seven are female and five are male. Six of the cases are aged 50-59 years old, two cases are 60-69 years old, two are 30-39 years old, and two are 20-29 years old.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on Monday, there were 5,319 new tests conducted for a total of 116,730. There were 1,392 new positive cases for a total of 26,867, and 88new deaths were reported for a total of 844.
Updated to include state daily count for April 13 and additional info for Vineyard cases. — Ed.
you will bankrupt island businesses that have not already gone belly up without a rollout. this is clear. businesses are not getting relief. domestic violence is up. alcoholism is spiking. this is a mess. open the doors. PLEASE
What are you basing your claims about domestic violence and alcoholism on?
Is MVH able to handle the worsening pandemic if we do not get the increased population?
Ew all know that this virus attacks females and males at about equal rate– great– how about some more pertinent information– like were these people here all winter, or did they just arrive ?
it would seem more informative to let us know how many of these cases were people who arrived on the island and tested positive in a day or 2.
I feel there could be a lot more information about these cases without divulging personal information.
Can’t have it both ways— open up businesses now AND contain a deadly disease?
Shut the boats down `Forthwith` to ONLY Emergency transports and supplies back & forth, Obviously allow Fuel, Food, trash transports and lastly ONLY island license plates can go back and forth BUT on their return to MV each person is cleared for signs of possible symptoms of the *Coronavirus*!!
The boats have a proven record that they are totally undependable, are terribly maintained and there is known issues of very serious safety concerns with the OB pilings and planking.
Talk is circulating of halting ALL Steamship Boats to and from OB all summer long and all their boats would go to VH.
How totally Stupid are these people?
Shut down the boats?… calm down… there are no people coming to “your” island at this time.
No one has the authority to do that.
The lack of infected people is good news, the doom and gloom predictions are not working out. time to open everything up slowly. Get people back to work. Maybe we can have a summer season after all
AND please shut off the national news, all it is doing is instilling fear and anxiety in people claiming how bad everything is.
When the opposite is true, things are looking up, finally, all these precautions are working
Lisa22, I’d rather be broke than dead.
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