On July 25, officials in Provincetown held an emergency meeting to escalate the Town’s COVID-19 public health advisory to a public health mandate. This mandate requires all workers and customers to wear face coverings in indoor public spaces, except when doing so is not possible due to a medical condition or disability.
The initial advisory was issued in response to an increase in positive COVID-19 cases linked back to Provincetown after the July 4 weekend. The advisory notes that 132 confirmed positive cases had been officially reported to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) as of July 16. Additional individuals beyond that number that live outside of Massachusetts also tested positive after visiting Provincetown.
As of July 23, officials reported that 430 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 link back to the Provincetown cluster. 71% of those individuals were symptomatic. 69% of those confirmed positive reported to be fully vaccinated. 3 of those affected were hospitalized.
DPH confirmed the presence of the Delta variant of COVID-19 in the Provincetown cluster through genetic sequencing. The Delta variant is known to be more transmissible, due to individuals with the variant having more virus in their respiratory tract and due to infected individuals potentially carrying that variant longer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 83% of cases between July 4 and July 17 are attributable to the Delta variant.
According to data from DPH, the Commonwealth has been making progress, with the lowest observed 7-day average of COVID-19 confirmed cases tallying in at 64.3 on June 25, 2021. However, that number jumped back up to 641 on Aug 1.
Similarly, the lowest 7-day average of hospitalizations and confirmed deaths came in at 84.8 on July 9 and 1.3 on July 12 respectively. Both are ticking up, coming in at 184.3 and 3.3 on August 1.
Despite these trends, positive cases among vaccinated individuals in the Commonwealth remains low. 0.1% of over 4.3 million fully vaccinated residents have subsequently tested positive for COVID-19.
While the overall trend is at a low, officials are still urging caution. According to Dr. Deeb Salem, Senior Vice President of Academic Integration at Wellforce and Sheldon M. Wolff Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine, Governor Baker is currently planning to make recommendations regarding masking.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director, Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H., issued a statement updating the CDC guidance for fully vaccinated people, “recommending that everyone wear a mask in indoor public settings in areas of substantial and high transmission, regardless of vaccination status.”
Similarly, Caitlin McLaughlin, Director of Media Relations at the Boston Public Health Commission advises “Boston residents to stay home if they’re not feeling well and get tested for COVID-19. The rapidly spreading Delta variant is now the dominant strain of COVID-19 in Boston. That means it is more important than ever to get vaccinated if you haven’t already. It is the best way to protect yourself, your loved ones and your community. The free COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective at preventing serious illness, hospitalizations and even death.”
