Jan. 26, 2023: A brief spike in cases following the holidays peaked on the first and second week of the new year and has since been on the decline.
The state crossed the 2 million mark in reported positive cases in the last week, with a total of 2,000,273 reported on Jan. 26; the county now has had 34,804 positive cases.
Weekly cases topped 10,000 on Jan. 5 but dropped to 9,360, 6,804 and the latest, 5,797, in the past three weeks. The county reported its highest weekly number so far of the year on Jan. 12 at 230. The last two weeks were 187 and 146.
The last week, however, was deadlier than usual with the state reporting 146 deaths and the county seven. The totals are now 21,826 and 458. Berkshire County has had reported 12 deaths since the end of last year.
The number of positive patients has dropped by nearly a third over the past two weeks, with 863 reported of which 266, or 31 percent, are being treated primarily for COVID-19. Of the patients testing positive, 293, or 34 percent are not fully vaccinated.
The number of patients on Jan. 12 was 1,250 of which 409 were being treated primarily for the virus. BMC reports six patients, down from 14 two weeks ago.
The statewide seven-day positive average has also declined, from 12.25 percent on Jan. 12 to 9.35 percent. The county's 14-day positive average is lower but not by much: 10.52 percent compared to 10.89 two weeks ago.
Pittsfield, which is still considered in the red zone, now has 15,591 cumulative cases but the number of active cases is 40, down from more than 100 at the beginning of the year. North Adams is at 3,586, with 80 new cases reported since the end of last year.
iBerkshires has been tracking numbers weekly but only updating the COVID page every couple of weeks. This page will stop updating completely in March. The last update will be March 9, one day before the third anniversary of the declaration of the state of emergency. This page will be archived afterward.
Jan. 5, 2023: The number of weekly positive cases and more than doubled since November, with 10,075 new cases reported over the holiday week and the average seven-day positive rate has jumped to 13.39 percent. The Berkshires saw 204 new cases, double that of the last week of November, and a 14-day positive rate of 10.21 percent.
These number, of course, only count the number of reported cases tested by health workers.
The total numbers ending 2022 are 1,978,312 for the state and 34,241 for the county.
The number of deaths also went up, with 129 reported statewide and four in the Berkshires. Those total figures are now 21,391 and 447, respectively. Pittsfield recorded its first death since the beginning of October, bringing its toll to 92. Pittsfield reported 196 cases for the two weeks ending on Dec. 31, 2022, and has 97 active cases. It's total number of cases to date is 15,415. North Adams is second-highest in new cases at 32 for a total of 3,525.
Patients testing postive has risen to 1,336 but, again, about about a third are being treated primarily for COVID-19 and about a third are not fully vaccinated. Berkshire Health Systems reports 14 patients who tested positive.
Nearly 81 percent of the nation's population and 95 percent of those age 65 and older have gotten a booster dose. Health officials say vaccination is now so pervasive that the number of total cases will have higher numbers of those inoculated. However, the likelihood of being hospitalized for the novel coronavirus is nearly 30 times higher for unvaccinated adults ages 18 to 49 and 16 times higher overall for the unvaccinated.
The number of total cases nationwide is now 101,094,670 and the number of deaths is 1,091,184.
Dec. 15, 2022: The state's seven-day positivity rate has crept up over the past two weeks, jumping from 7.14 percent on Dec. 1 to 7.85 percent on Dec. 15. The county's 14-day rate has gone from 5.87 percent to 7.05 percent.
The number of positive cases has also risen after hitting an eight-month low of 4,425 the week before Thanksgiving. The week ending Dec. 1 saw the weekly number rise to 5,068, then 7,499 and, on Dec. 15, 8,391. There have now been a total of 1,950,694 cases statewide.
The county's weekly numbers are also up after dropping to 82 on the week ending Nov. 17; the week of Thanksgiving it was 114, and then 91, 157 and 155 (for the week ending Dec. 15). The total is 33,682.
Pittsfield has reported a total of 15,081 to date and North Adams, 3,469. North Adams had 31 cases reported during the first two weeks of December. The next highest were Dalton at 19 (1,740) and Great Barrington at 18 (1,884).
The number of patients hospitalized primarily for COVID-19 is up slightly at 255, but remains at about 30 percent of all positive patients.
Residents can call with questions at 413-662-3614, answered between 8 and 5 weekdays and voicemail for after hours, or use nbcovid@gmail.com.
Berkshire Medical Center
Toll-free hotline for questions staffed weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m: 1-855-BMC-LINK or 1-855-262-5465. Berkshire Health Systems also has page with upated information here.
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Senator Hinds Tests Positive for COVID-19 The senator is reporting mild symptoms and is isolating according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control guidelines. According to a statement released Thursday afternoon, he is vaccinated and boosted.
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Mount Greylock Committee Defends Handling of Pandemic Several members of the Mount Greylock Regional School Committee last week defended the district's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic against criticism from one of their colleagues.
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Rhoads and Vice Chair Board Amy Oberlin said they distributed some tests at Ramblefest over the weekend. Several event-goers, they said, were interested.
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On Monday, the positivity rate was 9.8 percent and there were 41.6 daily cases per 100,000 people, compared to an 8 percent positivity rate and an average daily case rate of 28.6 one month ago.
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The latest vaccine to combat COVID-19 is designed to provide protection from the BA.4 and BA.5 variants that currently make up the vast majority of novel coronavirus cases in the United States.
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The city's health director had good news on Wednesday, telling the Board of Health that COVID-19 cases have been plateauing for the last month after a small increase in July. click for more
While face coverings, social distancing, remote learning and "hybrid" schedules largely are a thing of the past, the education deficits created by the pandemic have been front of mind for school officials for more than two years.
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Students in the North Adams Public Schools return to classes this week with minimal COVID-19 restrictions in place, as the district continues to follow public health guidance on the virus. click for more
Berkshire Health Systems will be reducing hours for COVID-19 Testing Centers in Pittsfield and North Adams, in response to less demand for tests and an increase in at-home test availability. Effective beginning Monday, Aug. 15 click for more
On Tuesday, the percent positivity rate was 4.3, down from 5.3 last week. To be in the yellow zone, a community must have 10 or fewer average cases per 100,000 people or have a 5 percent or less positivity rate.
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On Saturday, July 2, the BHS Testing and Vaccine Center in Pittsfield will hold its monthly COVID vaccine clinic for children 5 to 11, running from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. click for more
On Sunday, the positivity rate for COVID-19 cases was 8.5, compared to 14.8 in mid-May, and Pittsfield saw 11 new cases. There were 41.9 cases per 100,000 people, compared to 133.3 in mid-May.
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Against a backdrop of declining local numbers for COVID-19, the board instead decided to continue its stance of strongly recommending masking in indoor spaces and reiterated the places where residents can obtain one.
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A week ago, the percent positivity rate was 11.5, down from 14.7 in mid-May. The average case rate was 73.1 per 100,000 people, which is significantly less than the rate of 133.3 in mid-May.
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On Sunday, the percent positivity rate was 16.6 percent and there were about 132 cases per 100,000 people. The positivity rate was 12.4 percent on the previous Sunday and there were 106 cases per 100,000 people.
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On Sunday, the percent positivity rate was 10.8 and there were 106 cases per 100,000 people. This is a stark contrast to the positivity rate of 2.1 in late March, when there were only about 13 cases per 100,000 people.
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The senator is reporting mild symptoms and is isolating according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control guidelines. According to a statement released Thursday afternoon, he is vaccinated and boosted. click for more
Pittsfield entered the red incidence rate for transmission on Friday when the positivity rate rose to 5.3 percent. This risk category is defined by having equal to or more than 10 average cases per 100,000 or having a five percent or higher positivity rate in a 14-day period.
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The positivity rate was 3.1 percent on Tuesday, a one percent increase from March 26 but a decrease from last week's metric of 3.3 percent.
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With the change, signage related to masking, distancing, and room capacity will be removed and students will be able to share a lunch table in the cafeterias.
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Approximately 500,000 people will be begin receiving payments over the next week through the COVID-19 Essential Employee Premium Pay Program.
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Today, the college is once again bustling with students, faculty and staff, learning, living and working on campus. Throughout the Berkshires, communities are starting to emerge and look to the future again. click for more
Several members of the Mount Greylock Regional School Committee last week defended the district's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic against criticism from one of their colleagues. click for more
The board, which never took the step of mandating face masks in town, authorized the health inspector to inform businesses that the board is no longer recommending that otherwise healthy individuals wear face coverings.
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The decision to rescind the masking advisory is in line with current guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the low levels of community spread of COVID-19 within the Berkshires.
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On Friday, the positivity rate dipped to 4.8 percent. To be in the yellow zone, a community must have ten or fewer average cases per 100,000 people or have a five percent or less positivity rate.
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The Berkshire Museum has suspended its mask and vaccine requirements for visitors. Starting Monday, guests will not be required to wear masks nor show proof of vaccination. click for more
Curtis emphasized the importance of honoring the choice that individuals make around face coverings. He outlined three levels of infractions that can be imposed on a student for not respecting a person's choice to mask or not to mask with the third report being a bullying infraction.
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The district's School Committee voted 6-1 Thursday night to end masking requirements in the classroom. Nearly 60 people attended the meeting virtually to provide feedback to the committee and hear the decision.
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Between Feb. 19 and Feb. 25, Adams recorded seven new COVID-19 cases, and Berkshire County is now considered moderate risk for transmission rather than high risk. Board of Health Chair David Rhoads said it is crucial to respect those who choose to or need to continue wearing masks.
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As of Sunday, the percent positivity rate was 8.6 percent, up from 7.7 on Feb. 24, and the average case rate is 48.4 cases per 100,000 people, up from 45.8 on February 24.
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These pediatric clinics will provide COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 and will be held the first Saturday of each month, beginning March 5 at the BHS Vaccine Center, 505 East Street in Pittsfield, from 8 am to noon. click for more
Town Hall is once again open to the public after about two months of closure because of the winter COVID-19 surge. The change is due to a decrease in Dalton's case counts. click for more
With COVID-19 metrics continuing to improve, the Board of Health on Wednesday voted to move the city's masking directive to a masking advisory. click for more
Although it never went the route of mandating steps like wearing indoor face coverings when a state mandate was lifted, the local board has continued to advise masks and made signage to that effect available to local businesses.
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On Wednesday, Curtis told the School Committee that he will look to them for consideration and if nothing is brought forward, he will make a final decision.
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