Hospital reports cases of Delta variant

Martha’s Vineyard Hospital has confirmed that two cases of the highly contagious Delta COVID-19 variant have been detected on the island.

Speaking to reporters on a conference call, Hospital President and CEO Denise Schepici and Chief Nurse and COO Claire Seguin said they had just received the information and that ‘they could not immediately tell whether the two Delta variant cases were individuals who had been vaccinated.

The Delta COVID variant was first identified in India and is more contagious than other strains of the virus. The variant accounts for 80% of new COVID-19 cases across the country as the United States enters its fourth wave, Schepici said.

Schepici urged people who have not been vaccinated to make an appointment to be vaccinated. “The Delta variant is nothing to be taken lightly,” Schepici said. “It spreads very easily from human to human, and very quickly.”

Although Massachusetts has not implemented a new mask ordinance, Schepici said it encourages those who feel uncomfortable in an indoor setting to wear a mask if they cannot socially distance themselves. .

This is the second variant detected on Martha’s Vineyard. Three cases of the B.117 COVID variant, known as the UK variant, were detected in April.

While the Delta variant is of concern, Schepici said the vaccine reduces the risk of hospitalization and serious illness from COVID.

Reports of the Delta variant on the island come as the vineyard experiences an increase in COVID-19 cases. Last week, 16 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Martha’s Vineyard, including several people who are symptomatic even though they are fully vaccinated.

Cape Town is also seeing an increase in cases. Provincetown in particular saw 132 cases between July 1 and July 16, with the “vast majority” being reported in vaccinated individuals. According to a Provincetown public health advisory, the city is urging its residents and visitors to wear masks indoors despite vaccination status, when they cannot socially distance themselves, and “high density businesses” are demanding proof of vaccination before allowing people to enter.

Seguin said state data shows the hospital administered the first dose of vaccine to 92% of the population in Dukes County and fully immunized 86%.

The 16 cases reported between July 11 and July 17 are more than all cases reported in the previous six weeks.

The weekly report included vaccination information for new cases and shows that even some fully vaccinated people contracted COVID-19 and showed symptoms.

Of the 16 cases, six are fully vaccinated, six are unvaccinated and four had unknown vaccination status. In addition, 11 of the new cases were symptomatic, one had no symptoms and four were unknown.

“Unfortunately, we have seen a slight increase in COVID cases over the past two weeks,” Seguin said. “We want to inform and take this opportunity to encourage those who have not been vaccinated to get vaccinated. We know the vaccine works by preventing serious illness and hospitalizations. “

The increase in COVID cases and the presence of the Delta variant also comes as restrictions on businesses and events have been lifted and people wear their masks less frequently.

Schepici said that with fewer masks, the hospital is seeing an increase in pre-COVID problems: coughs, colds and even two cases of the flu.

Seguin added that the increase in cases comes at a particularly busy time for the hospital. She estimated that there had been an additional 600 visits in June.

“There has been an increase in the number of patients entering the emergency department,” Seguin said. “Our emergency department saw an increase in the number of patients compared to 2019 and 2020 in June, and this had an impact downstream, as more patients are also admitted to our inpatient units. “

Schepici said the significant increase in emergency room visits was “absolutely” correlated with an increase in the number of people on the island.

The hospital always encourages people who test positive to self-isolate, even if they are vaccinated. If they show symptoms of COVID, they should get tested.

“There is a serious concern for the safety of all. The virus is still there. We want everyone to enjoy the summer, but you have to use caution and common sense as we have urged from the start, ”Schepci said. “Do the things that will protect you and get the vaccine if you haven’t.”

Health Boards Report

The ages of the new cases varied, with two cases under 10, two between 11 and 19, one in their twenties, three in their thirties, one in their forties, one in their fifties, two in their sixties, and four over 70 years old.

In a follow-up email to The Times, Tisbury Health Boards spokesperson and health officer Maura Valley said five of the six people vaccinated were symptomatic. She added that the island had not yet received any results from the state epidemiologist for testing for COVID variants.

Ten of the new cases are still being watched by public health officials, two are not and one has been referred to a health facility off the island. Three of the new cases were lost in follow-up communications from public health officials.

There have been 14 cases reported by Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, one by TestMV and one by an off-island provider.

It all comes as the hospital has administered more than 27,000 doses of vaccine – 13,692 first doses and 13,778 second doses.

As of July 15, the hospital had administered a total of 20,865 COVID tests. Of these, 1,102 are positive and 19,755 are negative.

The TestMV site administered a total of 39,209 COVID tests. Of these, 376 are positive, 38,666 negative and 167 are awaiting results.

The town of Aquinnah administered 456 tests, with two positive results.

The Wampanoag tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) have reported a total of 14 positive cases of COVID-19.

There have been 18 positive tests reported from public schools in Martha’s Vineyard, out of a total of 16,122 tested.

Due to the way the tests are performed, there may be a discrepancy between the number of positive individuals and the number of positive tests reported.

The island has reported nine COVID clusters, including an October wedding (eight cases), Cronig’s Market (19 cases), a Bible study group (11 cases), MV Hospital (five cases), Project Headway (four cases) , King’s Barbershop (eight cases), Shirley’s Hardware (six employees), the Barn Bowl & Bistro (nine cases) and the Cardboard Box (three). A cluster is defined as more than two people from different families or households with a common source of infection.

At the state level, as of July 16, the most recent data available, 269 new cases were reported, for a total of 665,801 since the start of the pandemic. There were three new deaths on Sunday. The total number of deaths in the state since the start of the pandemic is 17,634.

Meanwhile, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released the Biden administration’s first Surgeon General’s Advisory on Thursday, warning of the threat of health misinformation.

“Health disinformation is an urgent threat to public health. This can create confusion, sow mistrust and undermine public health efforts, including our ongoing work to end the COVID-19 pandemic, ”US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said in a press release. “As Surgeon General, my job is to help keep people safe and healthy, and without limiting the spread of health misinformation, American lives are at risk. From tech and social media companies that need to do more to combat the spread on their platforms, to all of us identifying and avoiding sharing misinformation, addressing this challenge will require a whole-of-society approach, but it’s critical for the long haul. term the health of our nation.