Pittsfield COVID-19 Cases Continue to Decline

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city is inching down to the low end of the "red zone" after a spike in mid-May.

"What we've been seeing is the downward trend that's gone further down from the last month that was before you," Director of Public Health Andy Cambi said to the City Council on Tuesday.

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.

There are around 84 estimated actively contagious cases in the city.

Cambi reported that hospitalizations due to the virus have drastically decreased. There were eight patients at Berkshire Medical Center on Monday, compared to more than 20 early last month. These are patients who tested positive for COVID-19 but may not be hospitalized because of the virus. Only about 30 percent of patients statewide who tested positive have been primarily treated for the virus. 

Biobot sewage testing is also trending lower, showing 574.4 thousand copies per liter compared to 1.2 million earlier this month.

The city remains in the red incidence for transmission, which is the most severe.



Pittsfield entered the "red zone"  in April 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 and having a five percent or higher positivity rate in a 14-day period.

Cambi told the council that the city has lowered its focus age range for contact tracing from 70 and above to 65 and above and that the state has offered the city more at-home test kits to distribute to residents. They will arrive in the next few weeks.

Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey told Cambi that he was displeased to hear of an outbreak in the city from The New York Times and asked if the council could be notified.

COVID presentations were decreased to once a month due to declining metrics. Cambi asked if Kavey would like them twice a month and the councilor said he would just like notification of such events.

"When I asked you about our outbreak if you weren't sure what was happening, I would appreciate if you would keep an eye on that and just let us know before we read it on the front page of a newspaper," Kavey said.


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Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at The Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

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