Pittsfield Seeing Decrease in Average Rate of COVID-19 Cases

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
Print 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:


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

Companion Corner: Loki at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a sweet and playful dog at the Berkshire Humane Society waiting for his new family.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.

Loki is a little less than a year old and is a terrier/pit mix who has been at the shelter for about a month.

Canine caregiver and adoption counselor Simone Olivieri told us about Loki. 

"He is very friendly, very social. He loves every single human. He's good with other dogs. He's just a lovely, lovely puppy who has a few things that he could still work on. He is young and learning."

Loki was brought in because his former home didn't have enough time for him and wanted him to be able to have a family who could give him the attention he deserves.

"He was brought in just because they didn't have time to continue working with a puppy," she said. "So nothing, nothing too serious, really, just he needs someone who can give him a lot of time, because he really does need that time, that attention as he grows and matures and works on this training."

He is still young so he has a bit to learn and has been hard at work learning new things including potty training and playing with other dogs.

"He can get a little bit mouthy, so sometimes, when he gets excited with his toys, he mouths on your hands a little bit. So that's something that we're working on showing him just more appropriate uses of his mouth when he's tugging," Olivieri  said. "Also, he can be a little bit reactive when he is out on walks and he can see other dogs, he tends to want to bark, and it's all just out of excitement and wanting to go see the other dog. So these are a couple things that we are working on with him here at the shelter, and he's been doing really, really well." 

Loki loves to play and go outside and will need a family who will want to take him on lots of walks. He can do well with a dog his size with introduction but should not go to a home with cats. They also say children 10 and older because Loki can be a little jumpy.

"He is very active, and he loves to go on hikes and walks and a lot of playtime. So someone who can devote a lot of that time to him, because he just wants to adventure," she said. "He wants to do everything. And also he could work on some training. Someone who would also devote some time to doing some training classes and really working with him on some reactivity and some mouthiness."

Loki is a great friend to play with other dogs and also loves to tug on stuffed animals and play fetch. While you may have to train him, he loves to learn and will be a great student and snuggle buddy.

"He loves to play with other dogs. He's a very social boy. He adapts his play style really well to other dogs. He loves to go for walks. He loves to play tug. He loves his stuffies here. He likes to play fetch. He loves to learn. He really likes to train. He really likes to be with you. He gives really good eye contact, good engagement. He loves learning new things. And more than just learning, he loves doing it with people. He just likes spending time with people. He also really likes to cuddle. Once his daily exercise needs are met. He's like a really good snuggle buddy."

Loki loves to meet anyone and everyone and is excited for his new family.

View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories