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A popular summer destination in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, reports a worrying spread of COVID-19 infections after July 4.
Officials in Provincetown, Massachusetts on Monday released a number of renewed mitigation measures after at least 132 people tested positive for COVID-19 in the weeks following the holiday weekend.
City manager Alex Morse told ABC News on Monday that the “vast majority” of COVID-19 cases associated with the city’s outbreak have been in people who have been vaccinated.
Eighty-nine of the reported cases involve residents of Bay State, 39 of whom reside in Barnstable County, and the remainder of those who test positive reside in other states and jurisdictions, local officials said.
At the height of its tourist season during the summer months, Provincetown’s population grows from 3,000 year-round residents to over 60,000, according to state data.
“We have a lot of visitors to town, and given the volume, it’s inevitable that cases will continue to emerge over the summer,” Morse said last week, after the first cases were reported.
Morse reported that most people show “mild symptoms”. According to medical experts, fully vaccinated people are much less likely to become seriously ill and be hospitalized if they are infected with COVID-19.
Nina Hargus and her husband, Stan, of Sudbury, Massachusetts, were among the influx of tourists who took advantage of the busy July 4th weekend in Provincetown.
“It really looked like a pre-COVID July 4th in Provincetown,” Hargus said. “The restaurants and bars were packed. The streets were filled with pedestrians, we saw very few masks and no social distancing. “
Last week Johnny Chagnon of Vermont and several of his friends were excited to return to Provincetown after a difficult year. Although Chagnon had heard of groundbreaking July 4 infections, he wasn’t too worried, he told ABC News, because he was fully vaccinated.
“I have a lot of confidence in vaccines,” said Chagnon, who also performed COVID-19 testing throughout the pandemic for the Vermont Department of Health.
However, preferring to be careful, “we avoided indoor events because they were very crowded”, opting instead for outdoor events, but without wearing a mask, he said.
However, on Monday, just after leaving Provincetown, he began to feel ill, had a fever, and experienced shortness of breath, a sore throat and cold-like symptoms.
“Today my fever is even worse,” Chagnon said Tuesday. Although her symptoms were manageable, “it’s definitely not what I expected to be fully immunized.”
With hundreds of people posting images of their Provincetown parties on social media, Chagnon added that the virus’s stealthy spread among visitors “almost looked like a train wreck.”
“I know there is a responsibility on my side, because I’m a bit there, partying like it’s 2019, so I’m a little angry with myself,” said Chagnon . However, he added, “everyone around me who tested positive was fully vaccinated, so we thought we were doing the right thing, we did whatever the city leadership said, and then that always happens. “
In light of the outbreak, Provincetown officials have issued a new mask advisory, in which masks are now advised indoors where social distancing cannot be achieved. All unvaccinated people, including children under 12, are required to wear masks both outdoors in crowded areas where social distancing cannot be achieved and in indoor public spaces.
Local officials are also now advising “strongly” in high-density locations, where social distancing is not feasible, to require vaccination checks before admission.
The Boston Public Health Commission also announced that it will also issue guidelines for recent visitors to Provincetown, after authorities identified at least 35 positive cases of COVID-19 linked to the Cape Town cluster among Boston residents. .
Townspeople, who have been to Provincetown since the first of the month, are now urged to get tested, regardless of vaccine status or symptoms, self-isolate and avoid groups or gatherings during the month. at least five days and until residents have tested negative for COVID-19. All residents are now urged to take extra precautions to help identify COVID-19 infections and prevent further spread.
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