The Martha’s Vineyard boards of health reported six new cases of COVID-19 at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital Tuesday — a day after no new cases were reported on Monday. There were 10 new cases from over the weekend.
The hospital has conducted 12,987 tests for COVID-19 since March. Of those, 616 have tested positive, 12,371 negative, and zero are pending results.
There are currently three patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Two are in “good condition,” and one who was admitted last week is in “fair condition,” according to hospital communications specialist Marissa Lefevbre.
As of Tuesday, TestMV has conducted 32,276 tests since June. Of those, 247 have tested positive, 31,197 negative, and 832 are pending results.
Phase two, which began on Feb. 1, includes and begins with individuals 75 years and older. Hospital patients can sign up through Patient Gateway. Non-hospital patients can fill out an attestation form from the state’s website.
The state has set up a call center for individuals 75 and older without access to the internet or who are unable to schedule their appointment online can call toll free 2-1-1 or 877-211-6277 for assistance.
The hospital is scheduling its oldest patients first, per the latest guidance from the Massachusetts department of health in phase two group one which are individuals 75 years and older.
Phase two group two will consist of individuals 65 years and older and two or more comorbidities.
“The initial plan from the state was to vaccinate based on age and comorbidities (75 and older, 65 and older, individuals with 2 or more comorbidities) then last week the state made the adjustment for only 75+, based on age,” Lefevbre wrote in an email.
There were four new probable cases since Friday bringing the Island’s total to 53 since March.
The town of Aquinnah has conducted 416 tests, of which one has come back positive, 409 negative and six pending results.
The Martha’s Vineyard public schools have tested 3,560 individuals. Of those three have tested positive. The public school data is updated once a week.
On Friday, the hospital confirmed two additional staff members tested positive for COVID-19.
Last week, five hospital employees tested positive for COVID-19 — three after coming in contact with an infected patient and two from community spread. Of the two additional cases, one is connected to the COVID-positive patient and the other is connected to community spread.
There are 48 active cases on the Island, according to an expanded Friday report from the boards of health.
The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) has reported a total of seven positive cases of COVID-19.
Due to how tests are conducted, there can be a discrepancy between the number of positive individuals and the number of positive tests reported.
The vast majority of COVID-19 cases have been reported since the end of October, when the Island’s first cluster of cases was linked to a wedding in October. Since then, the Island has seen 779 cases of COVID-19 — several times the 89 cases reported on the Island between when testing began in March.
In addition to the wedding cluster, which reported eight cases, clusters at Cronig’s Market, with 19 cases, and a Bible study group, with 11 cases, have also been reported.
New clusters were reported last week with a five-case cluster at the hospital and a four case cluster at Project Headway.
On the state level Tuesday, there were 1,319 new confirmed cases of COVID-19. The state’s seven-day average of percent positivity continues to drop and is now at 2.96 percent — a steep decline from 8 percent high in early January. There are an estimated 55,659 active cases statewide. There were 68 new deaths, for a total of 14,821 COVID-19 deaths since March.
