The number of COVID-19-positive cases in Greenfield is “significantly rising,” according Greenfield Interim Health Director Jennifer Hoffman.
Mayor Roxann Wedegartner said she was told by Hoffman that the Health Department is investigating “more than 100 people” who might have been exposed and might or might not have COVID-19.
“This is an unusual spike for the city,” Wedegartner said. “It falls on the heels of Thanksgiving.”
The mayor said 39 new positive cases were identified between Monday and Wednesday of this week alone — 10 on Monday, 11 on Tuesday and 18 on Wednesday. The city continues to do contact tracing, which she said is taking a tremendous amount of time.
“Numbers are going up exponentially,” Hoffman said. “The spread is widespread.”
Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) Director of Community Services Phoebe Walker has said the same, and its contact tracers are incredibly busy. She and Hoffman said they will continue to review the metrics in an effort to keep the entire city and entire county safe.
The state Department of Public Health reported Friday that the two weeks between Thanksgiving and Thursday, Dec. 10, saw a rise in how many Franklin County towns have moved from the “gray” category with five or fewer cases, to “green,” “yellow,” and Montague has moved into the “red” category, the most high-risk category, reporting 33 new cases during that time.
The state lags in its reporting, so there could be even more cases that won’t show up in the state’s metrics until next week or the week after. For instance, the state reports 68 new cases over the two weeks in Greenfield, putting it in the “yellow” or more high-risk category, but Hoffman reported knowing of 100 cases during that time.
Athol and Deerfield are also in the “yellow” category, with 39 and 18 positive cases respectively. Orange and Sunderland are in the “green” category with 13 and 15 new cases, respectively. Only Hawley, Monroe and Warwick are reporting no cases at this point. Most other towns are reporting fewer than five cases, while Buckland and Gill report five, Shutesbury reports six and Erving reports seven.
According to the Department of Public Health, towns with a population of under 10,000 must have fewer than 10 cases to be in the “gray” category, they must have fewer than 15 cases to be in the “green,” fewer than 25 cases to be in the “yellow” and 25 or more to be in the “red.”
The mayor and the Greenfield Health Department announced two days of free COVID-19 testing next week for all Franklin County residents. The two consecutive days of testing will be held at Greenfield Community College on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Wednesday from 1 to 6 p.m.
Testing is free and does not require a medical referral. Individuals do not need to have COVID-19 symptoms to get tested; however, everyone must register. The city, GCC, American Medical Response (AMR) and FRCOG are partnering to provide the testing.
“This has been an incredible example of utilizing city and regional collaboration to help deliver a major COVID-19 testing win for Greenfield and Franklin County,” Wedegartner said. “With the addition of Gov. Baker’s news this week, we will be in even stronger shape going forward with the addition of those resources later this month.”
Gov. Charlie Baker announced that the state plans to set up free testing sites in Western Massachusetts.
GCC President Yves Salomon-Fernández said, “GCC is here to serve the community. These are challenging times that highlight what we do best, which is coming together to support and elevate those in need,” while AMR Operations Manager Patrick Leonardo noted that positive cases are on the rise across the state, so it is imperative that free testing for rural communities happens in places like Greenfield.
According to Linda Dunlavy, executive director at FRCOG, “The lack of Stop the Spread sites in Franklin County that allow anyone to get a test for any reason has been a detriment to COVID response in our region, especially since cases are rising.”
To get tested, visit bit.ly/3nbompY. Also call the Greenfield Health Department at 413-772-1404.
The hospital most recently reported eight confirmed cases of COVID-19 and those people are being treated at Baystate Franklin Medical Center. A total of 132 people are hospitalized at Baystate Health hospitals and of those, 12 are currently in the critical care unit in Springfield.
Hoffman and other health officials have said people need to remember to continue social distancing, wearing masks and washing hands.
Reach Anita Fritz at 413-772-9591 or afritz@recorder.com.