Pittsfield COVID Cases, Hospitalizations Continue to Rise

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
03:46PM / Tuesday, May 17, 2022Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Last week, iBerkshires reported that COVID-19 cases continued to rise after a surge that pushed the city into the "red zone" and hospitalizations had also increased. This week, the report is the same.

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.

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.

On Monday, there were 20 people hospitalized with the virus at Berkshire Medical Center compared to 17 last week. There were three COVID-19 patients at Fairview Hospital in Great Barrington on Monday as well.

In the last week, there were 30 hospitalizations for patients who tested positive in a PCR test and 52 in the last 14 days. Some 37 patients also have pending tests, according to Berkshire Health System's COVID dashboard.

Pittsfield has about 345 estimated actively contagious cases with 36 new cases just on Sunday.

There are currently about 33 new active cases in the Pittsfield Public Schools. This metric has gone down significantly from the previous week when there were more than 100 reported cases.

Superintendent Joseph Curtis said in a Friday districtwide update that the district continues to do a close analysis of each case in each classroom at each school along with the overall picture of the district. The district is so far not implementing any change in practice but that could change if circumstances do, Curtis also reported.

Early this month Curtis disclosed a possible return of masking in the schools if the cases continued to rise. In his update to students and families dated May 6, he reported 102 cases in the district, about 30 cases higher than his previous communication to families.

On Monday, Berkshire County had 367 new cases and a 7-day average of 136.

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Possible Measles Exposure at Boston, Logan

12:05PM / Wednesday, December 24, 2025

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday that an out-of-state adult visitor who spent time in Boston and Westborough earlier this month was diagnosed with measles and was present in a number of locations.

This could have resulted in other people being exposed to measles virus.

The visitor arrived at Logan International Airport on American Airlines flight 2384 from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 11 at 2:39 p.m. They stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston-Westborough in Westborough and departed the state on Dec. 12 via Logan at 9:19 p.m. on JetBlue flight 117 to Las Vegas.

DPH is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local partners to identify and notify those who may have been exposed to measles from this individual.

"Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease, which has increased significantly in the United States because of the unfortunate decrease in vaccination rates. It is also a preventable disease," said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein. "This current situation serves as an important reminder of the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our communities. While Massachusetts has not had a measles case this year, 2025 saw the highest number of nationwide cases in more than a decade — nearly 2,000 in 44 jurisdictions, and sadly, three deaths.

"Fifteen years ago, measles had been considered eliminated in the United States, but that tremendous progress is at risk. Vaccines are one of the most important public health interventions ever — they are safe, effective, and lifesaving."

Measles is very contagious. However, the risk to most people in Massachusetts is low because the vaccination rate in the state is high. People who are not immune and visited any of the locations on the following dates and times may be at risk for developing measles.

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