Martha’s Vineyard boards of health reported one new positive coronavirus test and one new positive antibody test among Island residents on Wednesday, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases on-Island to 28.
But a change in reporting procedures by the boards of health will now distinguish between those who test positive for the virus and those who test positive for viral antibodies. Those who test positive for antibodies will be considered suspected positives, Tisbury health agent Maura Valley explained. Ms. Valley is the designated spokesman for the six boards of health, who release daily reports on case counts and other information. The Martha’s Vineyard Hospital reports its testing information daily on its website.
Martha’s Vineyard now has had 24 people test positive for the virus, and four people test positive for viral antibodies, according to the report from the boards of health Wednesday.
“In order to more clearly reflect what is being reported I have changed the format to report antibody tests as probable positives rather than confirmed positives,” Ms. Valley said in an email. The boards of health had previously decided to include positive antibody tests among confirmed positive cases.
The individual who tested positive for the virus on Wednesday was the first individual who tested positive for the virus off-Island. The other 23 positive Covid-19 tests have occurred at the Vineyard hospital, the only on-Island location with a coronavirus testing lab. The four positive antibody tests were also done off-Island.
“The new PCR positive result is an Island resident that was tested off-Island which is why the individual does not appear in the hospital count,” Ms. Valley wrote.
On Wednesday morning the hospital said it had tested 607 patients for the virus, with 23 positives, 573 negatives and 11 pending. The hospital also announced this week that it would test all of the residents and staff of its Windemere nursing facility, which numbers more 100 people. The date of the testing has not been announced.
Viral serology — or antibody — tests are currently only available off-Island. All four individuals who have tested positive for viral antibodies have done so off-Island within the past week. Ms. Valley said the individuals are no longer symptomatic and have completed monitoring.
According to the daily demographic provided by Ms. Valley, the Island has had 11 male and 13 female residents test positive for the virus. The age breakdown of the cases is as follows: two individuals under 20, five in their 20s, two in their 30s, one in their 40s and seven in both their fifties and sixties.
All four individuals who have tested positive for antibodies are female, with one in her 20s, one in her 40s and two in their 50s.
Statewide, new cases increased for the first time in two days, with the Department of Public Health (DPH) reporting 1,165 people testing positive for the virus on Wednesday. The total number of cases throughout the state has now eclipsed 80,000.
The DPH reported 174 deaths on Wednesday — a marked increase from the 33 reported on Tuesday. Clerical errors were possibly a factor in the low count on Tuesday, state officials said.
Also Wednesday the DPH released case information on a town-by-town basis. The state is reporting seven confirmed cases in Edgartown, seven in West Tisbury, fewer than five cases in Tisbury, Oak Bluffs and Chilmark, and zero cases in Aquinnah. There are also no cases on Gosnold, the Elizabeth islands chain and seventh town in Dukes County.
In his daily press briefing, Gov. Charlie Baker continued to reiterate plans for a phased re-opening, saying that businesses with the least amount of human-to-human contact would be allowed to open first. The governor plans to release a report on the phased re-opening May 18, when the statewide stay-at-home order is set to expire.
Meanwhile, municipal governments on the Island have been mulling local issues with regard to the May 18 date over the past week, including further relaxations on the Islandwide construction moratorium and the opening of beaches. The general consensus from town leaders has been that they are wary about making any decisions before the governor comes out with his guidelines.
On Wednesday, the Island was busy as Vineyarders enjoyed a brisk, breezy spring day, the warm sun a welcome reprieve from the recent cold as temperatures climbed into the mid-50s.
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