Toward the end of August, Barnstable County was still picking up anywhere from 15 to 30 new cases per day bringing the total for the county to over 15,000. On the Islands the significant case increases toward the end of August did not begin to abate. At the end of the August the total positive cases for Massachusetts was 703,961.
The spread of the Delta variant has caused this resurgence in cases across the Cape & Islands and is the variant associated with increasing cases numbers across region and the state. Note that, nationwide, approximately 20% of new cases identified via testing are among fully vaccinated persons. In MA 30% of patients hospitalized for COVID are fully vaccinated. Again, the larger-than-expected numbers of cases among vaccinated persons is attributed to the presence of the Delta variant. As such nearly all public health authorities--national, state, and local--recommend resumption of masking in indoor public spaces, physical distancing, and continuation of handwashing and other hygienic precautions.
DPH recommends that all persons, vaccinated or not, experiencing COVID symptoms or having had close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID be tested themselves. Guidance on testing, isolation, and quarantine can be found here: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/about-covid-19-testing, https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-isolation-and-quarantine-information
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has been known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, and will now be marketed as Comirnaty (koe-mir’-na-tee), for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older. The vaccine also continues to be available under emergency use authorization (EUA), including for individuals 12 through 15 years of age and for the administration of a third dose in certain immunocompromised individuals.
FDA Approves First COVID-19 Vaccine | FDA
This new approval by the FDA will hopefully help in the efforts toward getting the remainder of individuals in our tribe vaccinated who may still be hesitant. The Mashpee Wampanoag Health Service Unit (IHS) has been working continuously with the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe Emergency Management Department on vaccination efforts. A new vaccination survey will be provided to the tribal community during the month of September as well as other initiatives. IHS is still offering vaccinations on a weekly basis. If you are not yet vaccinated, please call IHS at (508) 539-2561 to schedule your appointment. We must all work together to keep our tribe safe and move forward in this fight against Covid-19.
For Covid-19 resource needs such as PPE and additional information, please contact MWT Emergency Management at: 508-477-0208 Ext 103.
