Updated 5:15 pm
The Martha’s Vineyard Hospital reported a new confirmed case of COVID-19 Thursday, bringing the hospital’s confirmed case count to 27 – the second confirmed case in three days after a week of no new cases.
The hospital has tested 863 patients for COVID-19. Of those, 819 were negative and 17 are pending results. Island Health Care, along with Quest Diagnostics, is set to begin expanded testing on the Island with tests of frontline workers Friday at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School followed by a mass testing of whoever wants it throughout the summer.
The Island boards of health, which aggregate tests conducted off-Island, reported two additional confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the Island’s total number of confirmed cases to 29.
Of those, 17 are female and 12 are male. Eight of the cases are aged 50-59 years old, seven cases are 60-69 years old, five are 20-29 years old, three are 30-39 years old, two are 20 years old or younger, two are 40-49, and two are 70 years or older.
The rise in cases comes as the state relaxed restrictions on many businesses this week.
The boards of health are also reporting on eight additional “probable positive” cases, which are patients who tested positive for an antibody test.
Of those antibody tests, five are female and three are male. Two are aged 50-59, two are aged 40-49, two are 20 years old or younger, one is aged 60-69, and one is aged 20-29.
The hospital is only conducting antibody tests on its staff as part of a clinic trial. Hospital CEO Denise Schepici has said antibody tests are in “the research phase” and that DPH does not count positive antibody tests as positive COVID-19 tests.
At the state level Thursday, the Department of Public Health reported 93 new COVID-19-related deaths. There have been 6,640 total deaths across the state.
DPH also reported 675 new confirmed cases, bringing the state total to 94,895. Massachusetts has performed 562,323 tests. There are currently 2,112 COVID-19 patients hospitalized across Massachusetts.
Updated to include Island statistical information and current state numbers. — Ed.
I’m finding your coverage of the COVID-19 cases a little confusing. You state that the hospital is only conducting antibody tests as a trial, so does that mean the eight positive antibody cases are all hospital-related? Please clarify. Thanks.
As we’ve reported previously and it’s still the case, the hospital was part of an antibody testing study but is not doing antibody testing. The antibody results, as we clearly state in the stories, are reported to the Island boards of health. We agree the way healthcare is reporting results is confusing, but we try to keep them separate for accuracy.
I still think any young healthy person on Island who had pneumonia in February should have antibody testing.
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