Editor’s note: The following Tri-Town Health Department update was written by Amy Hardt, MPH BSN RN, Lead Public Health Nurse at the Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative, and sent out Monday, May 9. It has been edited for clarity.
Well folks, what I was optimistically hoping would be a “blip” of spring cases associated with the more infectious BA.2 and its offspring, BA.212.1, has grown into more of a wave in our area. The CDC estimates nearly 100% of cases in the Northeast are now one of these two strains and Berkshire County is now at the CDC’s “High/Red” level of COVID-19 Community Impact. Both Berkshire County and South County towns’ test positivity are still rising (and we know that PCR tests are only a small fraction of actual cases at this point). See the dashboard for current numbers and the center graph for trends.
Thank goodness warmer weather is here, making it easier to socialize outside, keep windows open, etc. But it’s still a good time to mask up again indoors or at crowded outdoor settings to reduce local spread and help protect our most vulnerable community members. KN95/N95 are highly recommended, or at least a surgical mask under a well-fitting cloth mask. Additional strategies like moving activities outside, using rapid at-home tests on a weekly or timely basis before/after events, and ensuring good hand hygiene are all good ideas, as well.
We expect to start seeing the spread of BA.4/5 Omicron subvariants over the next few weeks/months. A handful of cases have already been confirmed in Massachusetts (and in nearly every U.S. state). Given the greater immune escape characteristics of these strains, they will likely overtake the BA.2 group and may continue to drive a high rate of new cases throughout the summer. Whether that happens will be in large part determined by our behavior.
Local hospitalizations have also continued to creep up lately. In March, our county’s COVID-related patient admissions were quite low, at just a tenth of December/January’s numbers, but they now stand at one-third of that high level. Thankfully, COVID-related deaths continue to drop in Massachusetts and around the country. It is also important to note that here in South County, our population rate of COVID-related deaths has been 25% higher than the state rate. That serves as a reminder to always consider local vulnerabilities among our family, friends and neighbors.
Even the lesser impacts of COVID-19 transmission are quite striking in the community lately: significantly reduced classroom numbers, school districts working hard to ensure staff coverage, temporarily closed businesses or reduced operating hours, and uncertainty around large event planning. Many, many residents are scrambling right now to figure out what to do when someone in the household comes up positive. Those at the lower end of the financial spectrum, those without paid sick leave, and folks who rely on daycare/kids being in school so they can work are hit particularly hard. For all those whose lives are being disrupted right now, know that you are not alone.
One question we often hear is about household exposures: how long should you stay home if unvaccinated and continuously exposed to someone in the same house? The key is to identify the last date of exposure to someone while they are still infectious, and to create conditions to ensure there are no additional exposures. If the COVID-positive person can’t isolate within a room of the home, then others’ exposure continues until the person is no longer infectious (Day 10). Which means unvaccinated household members end up having to extend their quarantine for at least 5 days past that point, assuming they don’t become infected, as well.
Remember, you can mask indoors, keep windows open and fans running, and get creative about who sleeps where — I have even heard of tent camping in the back yard as a solution. The state isolation and quarantine guidance has been clarified online and appears easier than ever to understand, but if questions do arise, your local public health nurses and health officials are here to help.
To recap: Mask. Test. Isolation/quarantine if needed. Get outside if you can. Be kind to yourself and others.
