Pittsfield Seeing Decrease in Average Rate of COVID-19 Cases

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:30PM / Friday, January 28, 2022Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — After a month of sharp COVID-19 increase, the city is seeing a decreasing average case rate.

"With regards to the number of cases we have been seeing, we continue to get high and low case days," Director of Public Health Andy Cambi wrote in an email on Friday. "It is a similar trend we have seen with past spikes. The cases would slowly decrease, usually taking periodic significant drops and then leveling off for a time."

There were 94 new cases on Thursday, 75 on Wednesday, 124 on Tuesday, and 46 on Monday.

The average case rate per 100,000 people is 223.6 after peaking at an all-time high of 283.1 on Jan. 16.
The positivity rate is now 16.8 percent, down from 18.1 on Jan. 17. That metric was close to the pandemic's highest positivity rate of 19.2 that occurred in early April 2020.

Similarly, the number of estimated actively contagious cases has dropped to 445, whereas there were 790 on Jan. 15.

There are currently 21 COVID-positive patients on precautions in Berkshire Medical Center. Pittsfield's 14-day hospitalization rate is 1 to 1.94 for vaccinated to unvaccinated patients.

Some 85 percent of residents are vaccinated with at least one dose and 74 percent of the community is fully vaccinated.

Cambi was unable to be at Tuesday's City Council meeting for a COVID-19 update but provided graphs that confirm the drops in cases and hospitalizations.

BioBot sewage testing also showed a decrease in virus concentration followed by a drop in cases.

Pittsfield has remained in the red incidence rate since November. That same month, the Board of Health voted to implement a mask directive that states that masks should be worn in all publicly accessible indoor spaces in the city unless seated at a table eating food or drinking.

The COVID-19 task force reconvened before Thanksgiving to discuss the city's health data that pushed it into the red zone. At the time, Pittsfield was at a 5.1 percent positivity rate, compared to the state's 3.28 percent, and a case rate of 52 per 100,000 people.

Mayor Linda Tyer distributed a press release in response to the city reaching a higher risk incidence rate asking residents to participate in the fight against COVID-19 by continuing to wear masks, wash hands, social distance, and be mindful of gatherings with those outside of the household.

After Christmas, cases began to spike until they reached a peak in mid-January.

Early in the month, BHS spokesman Michael Leary said that with the omicron variant present in the community, the number of people being tested daily for COVID-19 by BHS had almost doubled.

This surge also had an effect on the schools, as Taconic High School and Reid Middle School had to close on Jan. 6 and 7 because they do not have enough staff to open.

Just one day before, Superintendent Joseph Curtis had cautioned in a video and written communication to Pittsfield Public School families that school closures could happen because of the recent surge in COVID-19 cases.

Tags: COVID-19,

More Coronavirus Updates
Keep up to date on the latest COVID-19 news:

iBerkshires.com

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

Quick Cash

Get help fast when you need it the most! Greylock Federal Credit Union. Insured by NCUA.

www.greylock.org

RIBCO Supply

Check out our great lineup of Boss Plows, and spreaders. 2 Locations Clarksburg & Pittsfield!

ribcosupply.com

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Pittsfield Schools Schedule Morningside, Budget Hearings This Week

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:23AM / Monday, April 06, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Committee will hold another public hearing for the potential closure of Morningside Community School.

On Thursday, April 9, at 6 p.m., community members will have the chance to give feedback in the Reid Middle School library. Last month, the Pittsfield Public Schools announced the possible closure of Morningside, which serves elementary grades, for the 2026-2027 school year and redistribution of its students to other city schools.

In the last couple of weeks, the district has solicited input from employees and community members through meetings at the school.

Morningside Community School was built in the mid-1970s with an open classroom concept. Morningside serves about 374 students and has a 7 percent accountability score, outperformed by 93 percent of the state.

For fiscal year 2027, the district has allocated about $5.2 million for the school. The committee has also requested a version of the proposed $87.2 million district budget with Morningside closed.

Pittsfield has another open concept school, Conte Community School, that is planned to consolidate with Crosby Elementary School, and possibly Stearns Elementary School, in a new building on the Crosby site by 2030. The status of the project's owner's project manager will be discussed on Tuesday, April 7, at 5 p.m. at Taconic High School during the School Building Needs Commission meeting.

That leaves the school officials wondering if Morningside students could have better educational outcomes if resources followed them to other nearby schools. Interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips has stressed that a decision has not yet been made.

Considerations for the school’s closure include: The feasibility of the facility to provide a conducive teaching and learning environment with an open campus design, the funding allocation needed to ensure Morningside students can have equitable learning opportunities, and declining enrollment across Pittsfield elementary schools.