Additional COVID Testing Announced for Cape Cod and Islands

Patient being tested at the Cape Cod Healthcare drive-thru facility at Cape Cod Community College early in the pandemic. 

HYANNIS – With COVID cases increasing across the region, Cape & Islands State Senator Julian Cyr and Plymouth/Barnstable State Senator Susan Moran are announcing additional testing resources for Barnstable County. 

“We are seeing a significant surge of COVID-19 cases in Barnstable County, very likely related to the Omicron variant. This variant is extremely transmissible, and we know it is circulating rapidly in our community,” said Cyr.

“Cape Codders remain among the best prepared in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts given our high vaccination rate and the public’s ongoing adherence to public health precautions that reduce the risk of transmission.” 

Cyr said that additional testing resources will be made available in Falmouth, Orleans, and Provincetown, with a state-funded, Stop-the-Spread site at the Melody Tent in Hyannis.

Expanded testing will also be offered at Falmouth Hospital and Cape Cod Hospital. 

Additional at-home test kits will also be purchased through the county, though Cyr said that supply chain constraints have slowed acquisition. 

The initiative is in addition to the state-funded vaccination clinic currently being hosted at Cape Cod Community College.

Compared to a year ago, Cyr said the Cape and Islands has made significant progress in the fight against COVID, leading the state in vaccination rates in first and second doses, as well as being ahead of the state in terms of booster rates.

“The vaccines work extremely well to keep people from experiencing serious symptoms, extreme symptoms, keep people out of the hospital, and prevent death,” said Cyr. 

With 411 new cases across Barnstable County, the highest amount reported for the region, Cyr said precautions including vaccinations are just as important as ever. 

Cyr added that fortunately, the death rate has not increased as dramatically, showing the efficacy of the vaccines.

State Senator Susan Moran said that lack of childcare and the impact of COVID on schools continues to hold back economic recovery from the pandemic, though she and other lawmakers are working to address the issue.

She said that vaccines and testing will be a vital resource to utilize ahead of the spring and summer months, when the Cape’s tourism economy will return in full force.

The latest updates on COVID, including vaccination and testing clinics, can be found on the Barnstable County website here.

About Grady Culhane

Grady Culhane is a Cape Cod native from Eastham. He studied media communications at Cape Cod Community College and joined the CapeCod.com News Center in 2019.



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