Pittsfield Sees COVID Spike in Sewage Testing, Another Death
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Sewage testing is showing a post-holiday COVID-19 spike.
On Tuesday, the city's virus concentration in sewage rose to 3 million copies per liter, compared to 1.3 million copies per liter on Christmas.
Director of Public Health Andy Cambi has indicated that the sewage concentration is the most accurate indicator of the virus' presence in the community because the other metrics don't include at-home tests.
There was also another death that occurred in late December, bringing the city's total to 92.
Hospitalizations have remained low, as there were fewer than 10 COVID patients at Berkshire Medical Center earlier in the week.
Pittsfield saw 32.5 cases per 100,000 people on Tuesday and the positivity rate was 12.1 percent. There are about 76 estimated actively contagious cases, a metric that has gone down from over 100 at the beginning of the year.
The city remains in the red incidence rate for having more than 10 average cases per 100,000 population and a positivity rate above 5 percent. It has essentially been in this category since last year with some reprieve in the spring that put the city in the lesser "yellow zone."
Before Thanksgiving, there was a low of around 470,000 copies per liter, a percent positivity rate of 5.4 percent, and 13.6 cases per 100,000.
For Berkshire County, there is a 7-day average of 33 cases. The state's 7-day average is nearly 1,600.
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