After a months-long surge, Island coronavirus case counts have fallen dramatically in recent weeks, with health agents reporting only two new cases over the weekend — the lowest numbers since early fall.
The fall in cases mirrors a state and national trend that has seen incidences of the virus decline since peaking just after the New Year and holiday
In a case update Monday, health agents reported one new positive test on Sunday and one new positive test on Monday, both from the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. No positive tests were reported on Saturday, and no positive tests were reported at TestMV over the weekend.
There are currently eight tests pending at the hospital, and 612 at TestMV — the Island’s asymptomatic testing facility.
One patient is currently hospitalized with the virus, according to a daily report from the hospital.
On Friday, health agents released an expanded case report that showed in further detail how case counts on the Island have declined every week for the past two months.
After peaking between Jan. 3 and Jan. 9 — with health agents reporting 99 new cases of the virus in the seven-day period — the Island has seen a steady weekly drop in case numbers. The weeks from Jan. 10 through Jan. 16, and Jan 24 through Jan. 30, both saw 68 cases of the virus. The first week of February saw 31 cases. The second week of the month saw 27.
Most recently, the period from Valentine’s Day to Feb. 20, saw 19 cases — the lowest number since cases started to surge in late October.
State and national case counts have also declined during the same period. After averaging nearly 7,000 daily cases in early January, the state has been reporting approximately 1,000 per day for the past week. National counts have declined from the hundreds of thousands to an average of 60,000 cases per day.
But the decline comes just as the Island begins its February vacation week, which often sees significant travel. Health agents tied the recent surge to holiday season travel, and have urged strict travel requirements for Island families choosing to do so this week.
Island boards of health have recommended using the CDC’s travel guidelines, which state that travelers should receive a test three to five days after travel and stay home and self-quarantine for a full seven days after travel, even if residents test negative.
There are now 911 individuals on the Island who have tested positive for the virus through a PCR test. Another 54 have either received positive antibody tests or been diagnosed by physicians as probable cases. Approximately 38 per cent of all cases have been linked to another case.
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