Local COVID-19 updates
Jan. 14th, 2022 05:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
edschweppeUnsurprisingly, the state is taking the upcoming holiday off:
As of 5PM today, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is reporting 64 newly reported confirmed deaths (28 more than yesterday - up 77.8%) for a total of 20,450 deaths, 12,864 newly reported confirmed cases (5,857 less than yesterday - down 31.3%) for a total of 1,318,694 cases, and 74,491 newly reported molecular tests (35,234 less than yesterday - down 32.1%).The seven day average positivity rate is 19.90%, compared to 20.34% yesterday. The state also reported 3 newly reported probable deaths (2 more than yesterday - up 200.0%) for a total of 489 and 1,806 newly reported probable cases (1,182 less than yesterday - down 39.6%) for a total of 107,589. Combining the confirmed and probable numbers gives 67 new deaths for a total of 20,939 and 14,670 new cases for a total of 1,426,283. There were 3,223 COVID-19 patients in hospital (43 more than yesterday - up 1.4%), 460 COVID-19 patients in ICUs (24 less than yesterday - down 5.0%) and 279 COVID-19 patients on ventilators (intubated) (1 more than yesterday - up 0.4%).
Of the four overview trends (formerly the Page 2 "key metrics"), the 7-day average of newly confirmed cases is 11,299.0 (2,015 less than yesterday - down 15.1%), 17,554% above the lowest observed value of 64.0 on 6/25/2021 and 51.0% below the highest observed value of 22,945.0 on 1/8/2022. The 7-day weighted average of positive molecular test rate is 19.90% (0 less than yesterday - down 2.2%), 6,354% above the lowest observed value of 0.3% on 6/25/2021 and 28% below the highest observed value of 27.7% on 4/15/2020. The 7-day average number of COVID-19 patients in hospital is 2,958.0 (87 more than yesterday - up 3.0%), 3,380% above the lowest observed value of 85.0 on 7/9/2021 and 24% below the highest observed value of 3,874.0 on 4/27/2020. The 7-day average number of COVID-19 deaths is 44.0 (1 more than yesterday - up 2.3%), 4,300% above the lowest observed value of 1.0 on 7/11/2021 and 75% below the highest observed value of 175.0 on 4/24/2020.
Statewide, hospitals reported 8,836 non-ICU beds, of which 5,507 (62.3%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 2,763 (31.3%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 566 (6.4%) remained available. Hospitals also reported 1,281 ICU beds, of which 654 (51.1%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 460 (35.9%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 167 (13.0%) remained available. By comparison, hospitals reported yesterday a total of 8,922 non-ICU beds, of which 5,686 (63.7%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 2,696 (30%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 540 (6.1%) remained available. Hospitals also reported yesterday a total of 1,288 ICU beds, of which 642 (49.8%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 484 (37.6%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 162 (12.6%) remained available.
Two weeks ago, the 7 day confirmed case average was 9,408.0, the 7 day confirmed deaths average was 28.0, the 7 day hospitalization average was 1,698.0, and the 7 day weighted average positivity rate was 18.42%.
One year ago, the 7 day confirmed case average was 3,787.0, the 7 day confirmed deaths average was 68.0, the 7 day hospitalization average was 2,259.0, and the 7 day weighted average positivity rate was 6.67% (or 7.92% excluding higher education).
The daily raw data file used to create this report is available here.
An encouraging drop in cases day-over-day; today's 12,864 newly reported cases are still way too damn high, but that's the lowest single-day count all year. However, we're seeing much less encouraging rises in deaths and hospitalizations; today's 3,223 hospitalizations are the highest reported since May 8, 2020. The seven-day averages are showing drops for cases and percent-positive (we're below 20% again! Yay?) but continued upward trends for deaths and hospitalizations. Overall, it does appear that the cases are cresting, while the hospitalizations and deaths are still working their way through the system. Of course, given the "network connectivity issues" noted above, there apparently could be a boatload of test reports that just couldn't make it to the state's reporting system. So who knows what the heck Tuesday's numbers are going to look like?
(At least the MWRA virus levels are still trending downward.)
I've been very critical of Governor Charlie Baker recently for his unwillingness to do anything besides talk about how vaccinations are wonderful for the past several months, as first the Delta variant and then the Omicron variant have sent case counts skyrocketing. Today, his administration actually took some action, issuing several emergency orders to ... tweak hospital staffing requirements:
Today's dashboard shows that only 6.4% of general hospital beds and 13.0% of the ICU beds are currently unoccupied. I'm not at all sure how effective these orders are going to be in providing additional capacity, especially as the hospitalization rates seem likely to keep climbing for a week or two. But what do I know?
The town of Acton's current Google Data Studio dashboard is showing 158 active and 2,236 cumulative cases as of January 13. The most recent "newsflash style update" at 7PM on December 21, 2021, the town reported 1538 cumulative cases with 89 individuals in isolation, 1417 recovered and 32 fatalities.
*January 17 holiday: the daily COVID-19 Interactive Data Dashboard will not be posted on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, January 17. Data from Friday, January 14 to Monday, January 17 will be included in the dashboard published on Tuesday, January 18.And, as I was getting ready to post today's writeup, the state added the following note to their dashboard:
NOTICE January 14, 2022So we need to take today's data with a even bigger grain of salt than usual, apparently.
Today’s COVID-19 data are incomplete. Network connectivity issues on Thursday, January 13, 2022, affecting some state agencies, resulted in a substantial percentage of laboratory results not being reported into the Massachusetts Virtual Epidemiologic Network (MAVEN). These results will be included in the next dashboard report on Tuesday, January 18, 2022.
As of 5PM today, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is reporting 64 newly reported confirmed deaths (28 more than yesterday - up 77.8%) for a total of 20,450 deaths, 12,864 newly reported confirmed cases (5,857 less than yesterday - down 31.3%) for a total of 1,318,694 cases, and 74,491 newly reported molecular tests (35,234 less than yesterday - down 32.1%).The seven day average positivity rate is 19.90%, compared to 20.34% yesterday. The state also reported 3 newly reported probable deaths (2 more than yesterday - up 200.0%) for a total of 489 and 1,806 newly reported probable cases (1,182 less than yesterday - down 39.6%) for a total of 107,589. Combining the confirmed and probable numbers gives 67 new deaths for a total of 20,939 and 14,670 new cases for a total of 1,426,283. There were 3,223 COVID-19 patients in hospital (43 more than yesterday - up 1.4%), 460 COVID-19 patients in ICUs (24 less than yesterday - down 5.0%) and 279 COVID-19 patients on ventilators (intubated) (1 more than yesterday - up 0.4%).
Of the four overview trends (formerly the Page 2 "key metrics"), the 7-day average of newly confirmed cases is 11,299.0 (2,015 less than yesterday - down 15.1%), 17,554% above the lowest observed value of 64.0 on 6/25/2021 and 51.0% below the highest observed value of 22,945.0 on 1/8/2022. The 7-day weighted average of positive molecular test rate is 19.90% (0 less than yesterday - down 2.2%), 6,354% above the lowest observed value of 0.3% on 6/25/2021 and 28% below the highest observed value of 27.7% on 4/15/2020. The 7-day average number of COVID-19 patients in hospital is 2,958.0 (87 more than yesterday - up 3.0%), 3,380% above the lowest observed value of 85.0 on 7/9/2021 and 24% below the highest observed value of 3,874.0 on 4/27/2020. The 7-day average number of COVID-19 deaths is 44.0 (1 more than yesterday - up 2.3%), 4,300% above the lowest observed value of 1.0 on 7/11/2021 and 75% below the highest observed value of 175.0 on 4/24/2020.
Statewide, hospitals reported 8,836 non-ICU beds, of which 5,507 (62.3%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 2,763 (31.3%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 566 (6.4%) remained available. Hospitals also reported 1,281 ICU beds, of which 654 (51.1%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 460 (35.9%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 167 (13.0%) remained available. By comparison, hospitals reported yesterday a total of 8,922 non-ICU beds, of which 5,686 (63.7%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 2,696 (30%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 540 (6.1%) remained available. Hospitals also reported yesterday a total of 1,288 ICU beds, of which 642 (49.8%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 484 (37.6%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 162 (12.6%) remained available.
Two weeks ago, the 7 day confirmed case average was 9,408.0, the 7 day confirmed deaths average was 28.0, the 7 day hospitalization average was 1,698.0, and the 7 day weighted average positivity rate was 18.42%.
One year ago, the 7 day confirmed case average was 3,787.0, the 7 day confirmed deaths average was 68.0, the 7 day hospitalization average was 2,259.0, and the 7 day weighted average positivity rate was 6.67% (or 7.92% excluding higher education).
The daily raw data file used to create this report is available here.
An encouraging drop in cases day-over-day; today's 12,864 newly reported cases are still way too damn high, but that's the lowest single-day count all year. However, we're seeing much less encouraging rises in deaths and hospitalizations; today's 3,223 hospitalizations are the highest reported since May 8, 2020. The seven-day averages are showing drops for cases and percent-positive (we're below 20% again! Yay?) but continued upward trends for deaths and hospitalizations. Overall, it does appear that the cases are cresting, while the hospitalizations and deaths are still working their way through the system. Of course, given the "network connectivity issues" noted above, there apparently could be a boatload of test reports that just couldn't make it to the state's reporting system. So who knows what the heck Tuesday's numbers are going to look like?
(At least the MWRA virus levels are still trending downward.)
I've been very critical of Governor Charlie Baker recently for his unwillingness to do anything besides talk about how vaccinations are wonderful for the past several months, as first the Delta variant and then the Omicron variant have sent case counts skyrocketing. Today, his administration actually took some action, issuing several emergency orders to ... tweak hospital staffing requirements:
The Baker administration on Friday announced several emergency orders aimed at easing hospital capacity concerns and staffing shortages amid the ongoing COVID-19 surge.
In a statement, the state Department of Public Health said the measures are "intended to ensure acute hospitals can serve those in need of acute care." The state healthcare system, DPH said, faces a "critical staffing shortage" that's been a factor in the loss of about 700 medical/surgical and ICU hospital beds.
To assist hospitals amid the staff shortage, DPH said, the agency on Friday issued orders designed to stem unnecessary emergency department visits for non-emergency services; allow qualified physician assistants to practice independently; provide more staffing flexibility for dialysis units; and allow internationally-trained physicians to get a Massachusetts licensure more easily.
Under one order, physician assistants can practice independently without a doctor's supervision, as long as they're employed in a provider setting where PAs work together with physicians to provide patient care, and the PA is qualified and practicing within their scope of practice, experience, and training, the statement said.
A second order allows resident physicians to engage in "internal moonlighting," allowing for flexibility to provide patient care outside their specialized training so they can be redeployed to parts of the health care system with the highest staffing needs, according to the statement.
Another order requires "facilities to expedite credentialing and to facilitate staff transfers across and between hospitals and provider systems to best meet patient care and capacity needs," the statement said.
A fourth order calls for out-of-hospital dialysis units, including hospitals with outpatient dialysis centers, to "relax staffing requirement levels while maintaining safe patient care by following DPH guidance that otherwise ensures that sufficient direct care staff, who are trained in dialysis care, will be available to meet the needs of patients undergoing dialysis," the statement said.
And an order relating to doctors trained in other countries calls for "an expedited licensure of foreign-trained physicians by allowing those with at least 2 years of post-graduate training, but who do not have a Massachusetts limited license, to qualify for licensure," the release said.
State Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders said in the statement that workforce and capacity issues remain a challenge for hospitals.
"Our healthcare system continues to experience significant workforce and capacity constraints due to longer than average hospital stays, separate and apart from the challenges brought on by COVID," Sudders said. "Working closely with our hospital leaders, these additional actions by DPH will allow for flexibility to preserve our hospital capacity in the coming weeks."
Today's dashboard shows that only 6.4% of general hospital beds and 13.0% of the ICU beds are currently unoccupied. I'm not at all sure how effective these orders are going to be in providing additional capacity, especially as the hospitalization rates seem likely to keep climbing for a week or two. But what do I know?
The town of Acton's current Google Data Studio dashboard is showing 158 active and 2,236 cumulative cases as of January 13. The most recent "newsflash style update" at 7PM on December 21, 2021, the town reported 1538 cumulative cases with 89 individuals in isolation, 1417 recovered and 32 fatalities.