FALMOUTH – COVID-19 case numbers continue to rise region-wide as the holiday season winds down.
The latest figures from state health officials put Barnstable County’s 14-day positivity rate at 9.45 percent, higher than the statewide 14-day average of 7.74 percent.
Despite the increase in cases, COVID hospitalizations at Cape Cod and Falmouth Hospitals have remained flat, or declined slightly in the past week. The state reported 38 total COVID hospitalizations on Friday on Cape Cod.
The number of COVID-reported deaths on Cape Cod have increased only slightlyin recent weeks, ranging from 8 deaths three weeks ago to 12 deaths in the period ending on Thursday, December 30.
When looking at the statewide positivity rate for the last seven days alone, as reported by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on their daily dashboard update, the average climbs to 16.44 percent amid recent case surges.
In the last two weeks, Barnstable County has seen 2,253 new cases, accounting for almost 10 percent of the county’s 24,105 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic.
It is these recent upticks that has led several Cape Cod communities, including Harwich and Yarmouth to update their town’s mask policies and general safety guidelines.
Wearing a mask whenever in public—vaccinated or no—has also been recommended by Governor Charlie Baker.
In Falmouth, where the 14-day positivity rate is 8.16 percent, Health Agent Scott McGann said the upward trend in cases is now common across the Cape region.
“Our case counts, again, definitely the highest two weeks we’ve ever had. It’s like that everywhere, it’s not just unique to Falmouth,” said McGann.
“Compared to other towns, we’re sort of middle-of-the-road.”
McGann said that despite the increase in cases, deaths have remained relatively low as vaccines show their effectiveness.
“You can definitely see in terms of the lingering death rate. It does linger, but I don’t see it spiking in the same way the cases are,” said McGann.
Across the state, the latest figures showed a 7-day average of 6,194.7 confirmed COVID cases, with a average of 26.3 deaths across the same period.
About Grady Culhane
