While Sunderland remains in the state Department of Public Health’s “red” or highest-risk category because of a surge in the number of people testing positive for COVID-19, the rest of Franklin County’s towns have seen a decrease in those numbers.
Sunderland reported 33 new positive cases over the past two weeks, most likely because of the surge in positive cases at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, while Montague is the only town in Franklin County in the “yellow” or higher-risk category, with 23 new cases reported in that time. Athol in Worcester County is also in the “yellow,” with 43 new cases. Greenfield is the only municipality in the “green” or lower-risk category, with 23 cases reported over the past two weeks.
Based on the Department of Public Health’s figures, updated on Thursday, there are eight towns with zero cases reported over the past two weeks: Charlemont, Conway, Erving, Hawley, Heath, Leverett, Monroe and Rowe. The rest of the towns — including Petersham, Phillipston and Royalston in Worcester County, are in the “gray” or lowest-risk category — with all of them reporting fewer than five cases, except Orange, which reported six.
Public Health Nurse Melanie Ames Zamojski with the Cooperative Public Health Service, a program of the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, said that overall the numbers have decreased, but she noted it is too early to attribute the decrease in numbers to vaccination.
“Most of the people who have received both vaccines are in the health care field or in skilled nursing facilities,” Ames Zamojski said.
With Phase 2 of the state’s vaccination plan having just started recently, she said only a percentage of those eligible have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Probably the decrease in numbers is due to a decrease in travel. Holiday travel is over, and the subsequent and related positive cases were isolated and close contacts were quarantined as per the state guidelines,” Ames Zamojski said. “Those measures really helped to limit the spread.”
Three nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Franklin County, along with Quabbin Valley Healthcare in Athol, reported no current COVID-19 cases among their residents or staff, who received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in January and have either received the second dose or will very soon.
With the exception of the Farren Care Center on Montague City Road in Turners Falls, the facilities were hit hard during the early months of the pandemic. The Farren has reported it has had between “one and 10” cases since the pandemic began and there have been no COVID-19-related deaths there.
Buckley HealthCare Center on Laurel Street in Greenfield has reported a total of 26 deaths since March of 2020, while Charlene Manor Extended Care on Colrain Road in Greenfield reported 21 COVID-19-related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic and Poet’s Seat Health Care Center on High Street in Greenfield reported 20 deaths. Quabbin Valley Healthcare on Daniel Shays Highway in Athol has reported 25 COVID-19-related deaths to date.
The Baystate Health system currently reports 90 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 and 10 of those people were in the critical care unit at the end of the week. There were two confirmed cases at Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield. Baystate Health does not report from which of its hospitals the people in critical care come.
Reach Anita Fritz at 413-772-9591 or afritz@recorder.com.