Updated 5:00 pm
The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 on the Island rose to 19 Thursday marking the third day in a row with a new confirmed case.
In their daily update, the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital reported that a total of 413 patients had been tested for COVID-19. Of those 388 had negative results and six are pending results.
There are currently no COVID-19 hospitalizations at the hospital.
According to a report from the Island’s boards of health, of the 19 confirmed cases, ten are female and nine are male. Seven of the cases are aged 50-59 years old, six cases are 60-69 years old, two are 30-39 years old, three are 20-29 years old, and one is 20 years old or younger.
In a press conference Thursday, Gov. Charlie Baker said the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations statewide has plateaued.
“We have, in fact, bent the curve,” Baker said. “We did, in fact, reduce the spread. We are now living with a plateau that I’m sure all of us would like to see dip a little bit.”
Baker stressed that now was not the time to let up.
“Infectious disease specialists now believe this virus can go undetected for days and some people who test positive actually never show symptoms at all,” he said, adding that efforts are focused on eliminating “a scenario where the virus comes back.”
Communications director Katrina Delgadillo confirmed that one of the confirmed COVID-19 patients transferred to Boston due to health complications has died “due to medical complications not proven to be related to COVID-19.”
That patient is one of three who have been transferred off-Island. Two COVID-19 patients were transported to Boston by helicopter and a third maternity patient was taken off-Island by ferry in a private vehicle. The two other COVID-19 transfers have been discharged, according to Delgadillo.
The hospital reported on Friday that it had one patient who was hospitalized. Hospital communications director Katrina Delgadillo told The Times the patient had been discharged on Saturday in “stable condition.”
On the state level Thursday, the Department of Public Health reported that 275,647 COVID-19 tests had been conducted, with 62,205 confirmed cases of COVID-19 statewide.
A day after reporting its highest number of deaths in a day at 252, DPH reported Thursday 157 new deaths for a total of 3,562. The bulk of the state’s deaths, nearly two thirds, have been patients 80 or older and the average age of a hospitalized COVID-19 patient is 69. According to the state data, 6 percent of the confirmed cases are hospitalized.
Updated with current state COVID-19 numbers and Island boards of health statistics. — Ed.
The fact is we have to focus on the number of hospital beds in the entire country, of which we have around 950,000. To focus entirely on the death rate is to ignore the fact of how many will need hospital beds? Not only on the island but the entire country. Multiply all the cases, in each state, as now known, and realize we have no idea of future needs, models are used to ascertain that, but not even the experts know. Models are just that, they are not fool proof. If all nineteen cases had to be hospitalized on the island, that would use up the hospital beds. As summer comes and people return to the island no one knows what will happen. Now, if all the hospital beds are filled with virus patients, where will the broken bones, strokes, cancer, construction accidents, automobile, bicycle, moped, etc. be hospitalized? There is not enough in medical facilities on the island to deal with that. Everyone on the island is affected, one way or the other. Businesses may wish to open, people may wish to arrive for vacations, but it is simply not possible to handle the coming fall out.
Sure just open the doors to them to all come and as Gay Head Selectmen Jeffery Madison said, All Hell is going to Brake Loose! My exact opinion also!
The rest of the world and our country has showed us what to do and also what not to do!
Don`t waste the short window of time that we have left to stop as many carriers from coming here as possible. “We got Tourists in the Wire”! Most Veterans will know what that means.
We now have workers / possible virus carriers coming to our island and returning daily.
What should Falmouth do about carriers coming from the Island?
Have any of the 19 positive COVID19 patients recovered? Would be nice to know that info.
Shut the boat down !!!!
i saw an article today about South Korea reporting ‘no new domestic coranavirus cases. They did report 4 new cases, all originating from outside of the country.
i know we have privacy ruses here, but can’t we mention if new cases are from people who arrived here yesterday , or are island residents who have been abiding by the rules ?
is that too much to ask ?
We have a grass roots movement to open the economy — we also have a grass roots movement to keep it closed. Some actual pertinent information about where these new cases are originating would really be helpful.
The fact that about 50 % are male and 50% are female is at this point totally useless information.
We would be better served to know where these cases are originating, and initiating contact tracing measures.
Now, I know some here will just think all the cases are coming from off island. But, to be real, we should know if the last 5 or 10 cases here are ‘essential” workers in places like our supermarkets or people in health care facilities , or coming from corona “hot spots” around the country.
Define a an Island resident.
Is an Island resident a person with a home and family on the Island and works off Island?
In Manhattan 5 days a week?
3 days a week?
3 days a month?
Much love and respect to our hospital staff and administration. They’re doing a wonderful job and deserve our gratitude.
Can I be the only one feeling a little bit of head spin from all the news about coronavirus flying out there, much of it contradictory? We’re told this is a once-in-a-lifetime catastrophe that’s a terrifying health threat….then we’re told that the mortality rate is only a fraction of the original estimate and the fatality projections need to be revised downwards. We’re told to shelter in place and practice social distancing to avoid exposure to the virus…and then hear that 50-80x more people were exposed and infected than estimated, and most exhibited no symptoms, i.e. the virus had no impact on them. Then, we hear that shutting down global economies and ways of life are absolutely necessary, otherwise we might suffer the wrath of a pandemic that leaves…99.5% to 99.8% of the population alive in its aftermath? It’s hard to know up from down here and whether hysteria is the real problem. One doesn’t want to be without compassion, and ideally no lives will ever be lost to any kind of sickness, but what if the results of mass unemployment and social disruption end up costing more lives than the virus? What will history show us in the end?
Wesley — I disagree that the death rate is as low as you speculate. I keep seeing the stats for “resolved cases” if you look at this, https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
the death rate is at 18 %. of course, this number will go down, as more people recover and we develop better treatments– but it is astoundingly high. I wonder where you get your . 2 to .5 % number ?
One thing for sure that is not being talked about much is that the impact of a world wide economic
“slowdown” of the magnitude we are seeing now will have devastating consequences on societies that are are already suffering from food “insecurities”. My guess is that the deaths from the now inevitable famines that will sweep across the third world will dwarf the direct deaths from the virus.
I just got my 1,200 TrumpBucks
Should I feel morally obligated to vote for him this fall?
Or just financially?
Those are tax payer bucks. Yes, you should feel a moral obligation to your fellow Americans and follow all the safety guildlines. You also owe it to our country to vote to get rid of the orange manbaby who is responsible for tens of thousands of needless American deaths.
Does that mean your voting for Joe “fingers” Biden?
The taxpayers did not give me the bucks.
Trump Did.
His name was right on the envelope.
That means he deserves my vote.
Trump is counting on your vote because he gave you $1.200 bucks.
The way I see it’s that the only reason he did it. He could care less about anyone but him self.
Big T–Just for the record– the president does not have the authority to spend money, or “give” it to anyone.
That power is constitutionally granted to congress. — Chuck, , Mitch, Nancy and Kevin at the helm.
The idea to put that line about it being from trump on the check , if you believe it, supposedly came from the sycophantic — (no way to put it politely so i won’t say it ) — that is in charge of the treasury.
A more honest line would have read “from the people to the people”. But we don’t get much honesty these days, do we ?
Unfortunately, there are some pretty ignorant people who think trump actually had something to do with it.
True. He didn’t have to dive into his personal McDuck coin vault to make this happen. Anyone getting a check deserves to see some of their own money returned during a tough time, no loyalty to any politician required.
Trump has the authority to withhold, and to give.
By executive order alone.
Think Stinger missiles.
“Unfortunately, there are some pretty ignorant people who think trump actually had something to do with it.”
Unfortunately, there are some pretty ignorant people who think that a dime gets spent without Trump’s approval.
All expenditures must have Trump’s signature or the vote of at least 2/3 of the Senate.
There is not enough testicular fortitude in the Senate to cross Trump.
Trump’s name was not on the check, just one of his flunkies. his name was on the envelope, just like it was on the postcard I got about social separation.
As hard as it was to believe his name was in the largest font, by far.
I agree Donx3, many will believe that Trump made this happen all by himself, and it is tax payer money! It didn’t come from Trump’s personal account.
The expression is: the enemy is “inside” the wire!
I agree Donx3, many will believe that Trump made this happen all by himself, and it is tax payer money! It didn’t come from Trump’s personal account.
19 confirmed cases….why can’t they tell us how they got it?? Were they non-compliant with masks and social distancing? were they front line workers? out of state? traveling needlessly to hot spots (like Boston)? With no names given, understandably, why not disclose if they know what lead to their contraction of the disease? Don’t give me HIPPA rules, I don’t care about names.
Individual names are one of many other facets covered by Federal law. You are able to apply for a waiver, exemption, or resolution agreement to the penalities below for the information that would answer your questions, at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/laws-regulations/index.html)
The Privacy Rule protects all “individually identifiable health information” held or transmitted by a covered entity or its business associate, in any form or media, whether electronic, paper, or oral. The Privacy Rule calls this information “protected health information(PHI).
A person who knowingly obtains or discloses individually identifiable health information in violation of HIPAA faces a fine of $50,000 and up to one-year imprisonment.89 The criminal penalties increase to $100,000 and up to five years imprisonment if the wrongful conduct involves false pretenses, and to $250,000 and up to ten years imprisonment if the wrongful conduct involves the intent to sell, transfer, or use individually identifiable health information for commercial advantage, personal gain, or malicious harm. Criminal sanctions will be enforced by the Department of Justice.
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