Local COVID-19 updates
Nov. 10th, 2021 07:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
edschweppeAs of 5PM today, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is reporting 20 newly reported confirmed deaths (4 less than yesterday - down 16.7%) for a total of 18,739 deaths, 1,745 newly reported confirmed cases (348 more than yesterday - up 24.9%) for a total of 810,346 cases, and 90,440 newly reported molecular tests (26,999 more than yesterday - up 42.6%).The seven day average positivity rate is 2.15%, compared to 2.05% yesterday. The state also reported 1 newly reported probable death (1 more than yesterday) for a total of 399 and 203 newly reported probable cases (61 more than yesterday - up 43.0%) for a total of 58,947. Combining the confirmed and probable numbers gives 21 new deaths for a total of 19,138 and 1,948 new cases for a total of 869,293. There were 527 COVID-19 patients in hospital (12 more than yesterday - up 2.3%), 141 COVID-19 patients in ICUs (2 less than yesterday - down 1.4%) and 74 COVID-19 patients on ventilators (intubated) (7 less than yesterday - down 8.6%).
Of the four overview trends (formerly the Page 2 "key metrics"), the 7-day average of newly confirmed cases is 1,174.0 (19 more than yesterday - up 1.6%), 1,734% above the lowest observed value of 64.0 on 6/25/2021 and 82.0% below the highest observed value of 6,229.0 on 1/8/2021. The 7-day weighted average of positive molecular test rate is 2.15% (0 more than yesterday - up 4.9%), 599% above the lowest observed value of 0.3% on 6/25/2021 and 92% below the highest observed value of 27.7% on 4/15/2020. The 7-day average number of COVID-19 patients in hospital is 515.0 (same as yesterday), 505% above the lowest observed value of 85.0 on 7/9/2021 and 87% below the highest observed value of 3,874.0 on 4/27/2020. The 7-day average number of COVID-19 deaths is 10.0 (1 more than yesterday - up 11.1%), 900% above the lowest observed value of 1.0 on 7/11/2021 and 95% below the highest observed value of 175.0 on 4/24/2020.
Statewide, hospitals reported 9,019 non-ICU beds, of which 7,812 (86.6%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 386 (4.3%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 821 (9.1%) remained available. Hospitals also reported 1,289 ICU beds, of which 905 (70.2%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 141 (10.9%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 243 (18.9%) remained available. By comparison, hospitals reported yesterday a total of 8,922 non-ICU beds, of which 7,541 (84.5%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 372 (4%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 1,009 (11.3%) remained available. Hospitals also reported yesterday a total of 1,277 ICU beds, of which 843 (66.0%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 143 (11.2%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 291 (22.8%) remained available.
Two weeks ago, the 7 day confirmed case average was 879.0, the 7 day confirmed deaths average was 10.0, the 7 day hospitalization average was 533.0, and the 7 day weighted average positivity rate was 1.67%.
The daily raw data file used to create this report is available here.
Another day, another mixed bag compared to yesterday. Deaths were down, but cases were up a lot and hospitalizations were up a little bit. The seven-day average for hospitalizations held steady, but the others (cases, deaths, percent-positive) are all up compared to yesterday. For that matter, the averages for cases and percent-positive are both up compared to two weeks ago.
In case that's not disheartening enough, nearly three quarters of the staff at Massachusetts nursing homes haven't gotten a booster COVID vaccination, despite being (a) eligible and (b) recommended by the feds:
The nursing homes and other long-term care facilities were the epicenter of the state's first, horrible wave of COVID back in the spring of 2020, and they were at the top of the priority list once vaccinations were available. They're the absolute last place I want to see immunity waning.
Also worth noting: tomorrow being Veteran's Day, the state isn't going to report anything; Friday's report will include both the Wednesday and Thursday data.
The town of Acton's current Google Data Studio dashboard is showing 21 active and 1,222 cumulative cases as of November 9. The most recent "newsflash style update" at 11:45AM on May 28, 2021 reported 978 cumulative cases with 3 individuals in isolation, 943 persons recovered and 32 fatalities.
Of the four overview trends (formerly the Page 2 "key metrics"), the 7-day average of newly confirmed cases is 1,174.0 (19 more than yesterday - up 1.6%), 1,734% above the lowest observed value of 64.0 on 6/25/2021 and 82.0% below the highest observed value of 6,229.0 on 1/8/2021. The 7-day weighted average of positive molecular test rate is 2.15% (0 more than yesterday - up 4.9%), 599% above the lowest observed value of 0.3% on 6/25/2021 and 92% below the highest observed value of 27.7% on 4/15/2020. The 7-day average number of COVID-19 patients in hospital is 515.0 (same as yesterday), 505% above the lowest observed value of 85.0 on 7/9/2021 and 87% below the highest observed value of 3,874.0 on 4/27/2020. The 7-day average number of COVID-19 deaths is 10.0 (1 more than yesterday - up 11.1%), 900% above the lowest observed value of 1.0 on 7/11/2021 and 95% below the highest observed value of 175.0 on 4/24/2020.
Statewide, hospitals reported 9,019 non-ICU beds, of which 7,812 (86.6%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 386 (4.3%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 821 (9.1%) remained available. Hospitals also reported 1,289 ICU beds, of which 905 (70.2%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 141 (10.9%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 243 (18.9%) remained available. By comparison, hospitals reported yesterday a total of 8,922 non-ICU beds, of which 7,541 (84.5%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 372 (4%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 1,009 (11.3%) remained available. Hospitals also reported yesterday a total of 1,277 ICU beds, of which 843 (66.0%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 143 (11.2%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 291 (22.8%) remained available.
Two weeks ago, the 7 day confirmed case average was 879.0, the 7 day confirmed deaths average was 10.0, the 7 day hospitalization average was 533.0, and the 7 day weighted average positivity rate was 1.67%.
The daily raw data file used to create this report is available here.
Another day, another mixed bag compared to yesterday. Deaths were down, but cases were up a lot and hospitalizations were up a little bit. The seven-day average for hospitalizations held steady, but the others (cases, deaths, percent-positive) are all up compared to yesterday. For that matter, the averages for cases and percent-positive are both up compared to two weeks ago.
In case that's not disheartening enough, nearly three quarters of the staff at Massachusetts nursing homes haven't gotten a booster COVID vaccination, despite being (a) eligible and (b) recommended by the feds:
Nursing home leaders, still catching their breath from vaccinating staff ahead of a mid-October deadline set by the state, are now facing another sobering reality. Immunity is waning among many of their staff, and few have received their booster.
That's prompted a renewed push for the shots in nursing homes, which were ravaged early on in the pandemic and account for at least one-quarter of the nation's pandemic deaths. As of Oct. 24, only 27 percent of eligible staff in Massachusetts nursing homes had received the extra shot, according to state data.
Those low numbers make some health experts uneasy. David Grabowski, a professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School who closely tracks nursing homes, said the virus often hitches a ride into senior care facilities from workers coming and going.
In late September, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended boosters six months after primary COVID vaccination for people over 65 and those living in long-term care facilities. As of Oct. 24, 52 percent of Massachusetts nursing home residents had received a booster, state data show. The CDC also suggested people working in such high-risk settings, including nursing homes, get the added shot.
The majority of nursing home residents and staff in Massachusetts completed their first round of vaccinations by late February, more than eight months ago. Recent studies suggest that waning immunity can lead to more severe COVID cases and hospitalizations, particularly among already frail people.
[ ... ]
In July, with 84 percent of its staff already vaccinated, Hebrew SeniorLife was among the first Massachusetts nursing home companies to mandate COVID vaccines for their staff by Oct. 1. A week later, Governor Charlie Baker ordered most nursing home workers to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by Oct. 10.
CDC data show that Massachusetts is second only to Rhode Island for nursing home staff COVID vaccinations, with more than 96 percent completing the earlier, two-dose round.
"Since February, successful efforts to provide this life-saving vaccine to workers and residents have resulted in cases in long-term care facilities dropping by 73 percent and deaths by nearly 100 percent," the Baker administration said in a statement.
It also said it is "actively supporting" booster shots at nursing homes with onsite mobile clinics and other services. But the state is not mandating boosters at this time.
State data show the handful of facilities reporting new staff infections daily has grown since late October to as many as a dozen facilities on some days among the state's roughly 380 nursing homes. Resident infections continue to be infrequent.
[ ... ]
A growing body of research also suggests that protection from COVID vaccines fades over time. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association analyzed results from 1,197 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 between March and July of this year across 18 states. It found that vaccine breakthrough cases that required hospitalization were most common in older patients with chronic medical conditions — essentially the same population found in nursing homes.
And specifically for those vaccinated with the Pfizer shots, the ones predominantly used in nursing homes earlier this year, protection from hospitalization with COVID waned after four months, the study found.
"The writing is on the wall: We are seeing a decrease in vaccine effectiveness," said Dr. Michael Klompas, an infectious disease physician and hospital epidemiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
The nursing homes and other long-term care facilities were the epicenter of the state's first, horrible wave of COVID back in the spring of 2020, and they were at the top of the priority list once vaccinations were available. They're the absolute last place I want to see immunity waning.
Also worth noting: tomorrow being Veteran's Day, the state isn't going to report anything; Friday's report will include both the Wednesday and Thursday data.
The town of Acton's current Google Data Studio dashboard is showing 21 active and 1,222 cumulative cases as of November 9. The most recent "newsflash style update" at 11:45AM on May 28, 2021 reported 978 cumulative cases with 3 individuals in isolation, 943 persons recovered and 32 fatalities.