No new coronavirus cases were reported as of Tuesday, the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital said. In a morning briefing, hospital spokesman Katrina Delgadillo said the hosital had performed 101 tests to date. There are currently eight confirmed cases on the Island.
No new coronavirus cases were reported as of Tuesday, the the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital said.
In a morning briefing, hospital spokesman Katrina Delgadillo said the hosital had performed 101 tests to date. There are currently eight confirmed cases on the Island. There are 76 negative test results and 17 results still pending.
No patients were hospitalized for Covid-19 as of Tuesday morning.
The hospital also said in the briefing that it can no longer accept donations of food due to strict infection prevention guidelines.
Donations of supplies that are still needed include disposable faces masks rated N95, shoe covers and face shields. More detailed information is posted on the hospital website.
The hospital has been preparing for a potential surge in Covid-19 patients on the Island, readying the building both inside and out as the virus begins to spread on the Vineyard.
Statewide, confirmed cases of Covid-19 jumped by 797, to 5,752 as of Monday. Eight more people have died from the coronavirus, for a total of 56 so far, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
At a press briefing Monday with Ms. Delgadillo, president and CEO Denise Schepici and head of nursing Claire Seguin, Ms. Schepici spoke about the five new cases that had cropped up over the weekend.
The five new cases occurred “over the last couple of days,” Ms. Schepici said. None of the cases were hospital employees, she said. Hospital leaders said they could not give any further information about the positive patients.
Responding to requests to provide more information on a daily basis, hospital officials said at the briefing that they would begin updating their website daily with the number of tests performed, the number of pending tests and the number of positive cases on the Island.
The Nantucket Cottage Hospital has been providing similar information since early last week.
Hospital leaders said it was tricky to pin down the number of cases on the Island because of the potential for residents to have had tests conducted off-Island. Numbers provided on Monday only included tests conducted at the Vineyard Hospital.
Speaking to the Gazette by phone after the briefing, Tisbury health agent Maura Valley said she was not aware of anyone who had tested positive off-Island and come to the Island
But hospital officials said part of their preparation was accounting for potential cases that could come from off-Island.
“That’s why we urged the governor to do a travel ban,” Ms. Schepici said. “Because people flocking from places like New York, which have such a high incidence, we are just assuming everyone is positive. That’s why quarantine is essential. That’s the golden nugget.”
Ms. Valley said Island boards of health were working closely with hospital officials to conduct extensive contact tracing for the eight cases throughout the Island. She declined to give the specific towns of the five new cases, saying the state has now requested the Island boards of health report numbers by county rather than town for confidentiality purposes.
Ms. Valley could not say whether any of the cases on the Island occurred through community transmission.
“With only eight cases, I don’t think that the cases are there to support community transmission at this point, but I can’t say for certain,” Ms. Valley said.
Hospital officials said they had a good working relationship with the boards of health.
“It is very fluid,” Ms. Schepici said. “We are very much in sync with them.”
With the jump in cases, hospital leaders continued to emphasize their limited resources, urging seasonal residents to stay put and encouraging Islanders to stay home. They thanked Gov. Baker for his advisory that all travelers into the state should quarantine for 14 days.
“Less travel is less of a chance to spread the disease,” Ms. Schepici said. “We also want to let our summer residents know, we love them, we depend on them, but Martha’s Vineyard cannot handle our summer population in this pandemic.”
Speaking even more frankly to a group of builders by conference call Monday afternoon, Ms. Schepici said that the hospital only had six ventilators and two respiratory therapists. She estimated that at its current capacity, the hospital could hold approximately nine patients sick with Covid-19, though is now instituting plans for more beds and patient transfers.
“We are preparing for a surge,” Ms. Schepici told the builders. “I wish it were unlikely. I think it is highly likely.”
Ms. Schepici said that looking at travel history and epidemiological studies conducted by staff at Mass. General, she expected Boston to see a surge in cases by the next two weeks, posing an ominous threat for the Island.
“The next two weeks will be critical,” Ms. Schepici said. “I think really things will start to spike, if not by the end of this week then the beginning of the next. We’ve really got to hunker down.”The hospital building in Oak Bluffs is on lockdown to all but essential workers.
Administrative staff are working from home and only clinical care workers are allowed inside the building.
Five tents have been set up around the building since the outbreak began, including a decontamination tent for emergency room workers, a separate entrance for employees, a triage tent in front of the emergency room and a tent for drive-through testing.
Recently, preparation and staging work have begun on a 12-bay hydration tent that will be connected to the infusion center should a surge in patients occur, Ms. Schepici and Ms. Seguin said. The tent would provide hydration and oxygen to patients who aren’t sick enough to be in the ICU, Ms. Seguin explained. The hospital has three ICU beds.
Inside the building, changes have also been made, with the space divided into two separate Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 sections. The plan calls for splitting up staff as well. At the moment, the building is quiet, leaders said.
“We have very carefully divided the hospital into clean areas, and areas where Covid-19 patients could go,” Ms. Seguin said.
She also described patient care policies for people hospitalized with Covid-19. The hospital admitted a patient last Wednesday who had tested positive, but has since been discharged and is in isolation.
Patients are divided into two main groups; critically-ill patients and those who need supportive care, Ms. Seguin said. Critically-ill patients would be put on ventilators with hospital officials taking all of the critical measures necessary to keep them breathing, while supportive care patients would receive hydration, supplemental oxygen, and medical monitoring. Ms. Seguin said there would be “shades of gray” in between.
The hospital also has plans with Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, its parent company, to prioritize the sickest patients for transfer, Ms. Seguin said. And predictive modeling has begun to determine the number of cases that may need transferring in the event of a surge.
Although she declined to give results from the modeling, Ms. Seguin said it was done with the assistance of the Mass General epidemiology department and took into account potential hospitalizations were people to no practice social distancing.
“We are preparing for any surge potential,” Ms. Seguin said. “We are preparing for anything.”
Comments
Thank you for this reporting.
Louise TisburyThank you for this reporting. I can only imagine the inner dread that our medical and supportive staff is experiencing. Thank you all so much. Let’s be part of the solution by staying home!
Please include in your next report the latest instructions for testing. What is the current criteria? Fewer than 100 tests completed for our population is miniscule. Or are we just lucky?
Lastly, why is the state lumping the cases for Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket together? We are two different counties. Where are our county officials on this?
Sounds like it's all under
bs Oak BluffsSounds like it's all under control. No one is hospitalized for the covid-19 and as time goes on we can all breathe a sigh of relief. Not anything as predicted luckily and we'll all soon move on to our daily activities.
Everyone is worried about the
Kindur Oak BluffsEveryone is worried about the summer residents returning,and rightfully so, but there is plenty of danger of our own making. The Post Office is a bubbling caldron of germs. The employees have refused to wear gloves or masks for weeks. The elderly like to check their mail daily and the lack of space doesn't allow for social distancing. The combination of indifference and ignorance will unfortunately cost lives.
Many of the Island’s usual
Shelley ChappaquiddickMany of the Island’s usual summer residents have been here for weeks already. They should have been a travel ban weeks ago.
well those nasty summer
Jennifer EDGwell those nasty summer people must be doing a good job with their quarantine given that cases are holding steady.
Ms. Schepici handled the
Brian Vineyard HavenMs. Schepici handled the request fo Summer résidents to stay home quite well.....
Thank you to the health care
Ken OBThank you to the health care workers, first responders, restaurant workers, grocery staff, teachers, and all who continue to serve the island during this difficult time. They are all heroes.
If we all follow 5 simple rules, we can get through this together:
1. Distancing: observe physical distance rule of no closer than 6 feet to one another.
2. Washing: clean your hands often, don't touch your face (difficult, I realize), and disinfect counters/door knobs at home, especially when you return from going outside.
3. Stay Home: only leave your home if necessary, for groceries or pharmacy (and that physically distant walk).
4. If you display any symptoms, self-quarantine immediately and call a doctor (don't visit, call).
5. Kindness: be kind to one another -- let's not forget our humanity.
Here is a great video from and ICU doctor at NY's Weill Cornell Medical Center. It gives some reassurance that we have more control over this than we think IF we follow the 5 simple rules: https://vimeo.com/399733860. Watch it, you won't regret it.
Ken, all good advice. However
Lorraine EdgartownKen, all good advice. However, the new MIT study just published a few days ago gives information that we may wish to read, follow and adjust our social distancing feet....one can research this on the web to get accurate information. I am not a scientist so I will not reference distances in this study. But perhaps the Gazette could publish it.
Thank you for this
Dawn West TisburyThank you for this information - it’s very helpful to see actual numbers and plans. As a person who knows the dangers of stereotyping and making assumptions about groups I’d urge you to think about the group labeling. We are usually summer people. We are not sick. We came after self quarantining for two weeks and are still quarantining at home leaving only for essentials. We socially distance , wear masks and gloves outside when we need to leave home. You know what else we have done ? Ordered an expensive purchase from vineyard hearth 3 months early because I thought she could use the order. Made sure to patronize every local business we can instead of Amazon (online and safely). I see the local businesses doing a great job of instituting safe shopping - one person at a time etc... that’s what will get everyone through this - not creating a false us against them dynamic. You know what else ? I love this island so much I saved for years and years to be able to buy a place here which we’ve now had for ten years. I live here too.
No purity tests- you are
Al Reis EdgartownNo purity tests- you are right where you should be.
Hello, fellow employees.
L.B.L. V.h.Hello, fellow employees. Thank you to all the doctors and nurses for your dedication. We are all so grateful you are there for us. I would also like to thank the housekeeping dept., the employees doing the linens. Please stay well, all of you. My best.
Thank you Dawn for your much
jamie Oak BluffsThank you Dawn for your much needed perspective. I’ve been coming to MV since I was 5 years old in 1959. I’ve brought up my children and grandchildren to love this place too. In 2016 my wife and I we were able buy a vacation rental home in OB that has been fully rented every season since. Our seasonal renters pump tens of thousands of dollars into the local economy every year and even more with the recently enacted short term rental tax. We pay real estate and other local taxes year round. My wife and I came here three weeks ago from our home about 50 miles north of NYC. We were then, and both remain, healthy and symptom free. We are practicing safe distancing and isolation. Since arriving I have volunteered at, and donated money to, the Island Food Bank. When you see a car with NY plates please don’t assume we are all selfish, sick or worse. Geographic stereotyping is unhealthy. We all need to stay healthy, both physically and emotionally during this difficult time.
What was wrong staying 50
Kevin OBWhat was wrong staying 50 miles north of NYC? Why take the chance of traveling here when you were safe there?
Unless I missed something,
AnneUnless I missed something, this couple have every right to be in their home. I think people need to stop judging each other and try to be more understanding and simple follow the guidelines.
It is disturbing to see
Dean Rosenthal EdgartownIt is disturbing to see summer residents who comment here trumping their financial contributions to the island, their taxes paid, and even their long-term connections here, none of this is the point, my friends. The point is this: if you get sick, you are even perhaps just one more person that may need to be in the hospital, and you are just one more person who may problematically be part of community spread. It is not personal, but those who live here are trying to limit even one single more person from being on this island for the above reasons. Thank you for supporting local business. Thank you for paying taxes and having the means to do so. If you had not bought your house, someone else would have, right now we are simply trying to limit anyone and everyone who wants to come here, even one single more person can contribute to community spread as much as they practice safe distancing. COVID-19 is not a practice run. Staying here, at your second home, only endangers everyone just a tiny bit further, even with safe practices. As long as you are not completely isolated, you are contributing to a single more potential case and hospital stay. Again, it’s not a matter of taxes and spending money here: if someone came into your home, into your house, and you only had so many beds for them to sleep on, eventually you would start to question the wisdom of inviting so many people over to your home, or even encouraging them. Governor Baker knows exactly what is going on, these are not state orders for no reason. Please respect them. If you are already here, please do your best to play a role in the community as if it might be the community that you visit from, your home.
I’m shaking my head reading
Edward EdgartownI’m shaking my head reading comments from those that chose to travel. One said, they bought a stove and another, pays taxes. Have you given thought to those that are exposed 24/7, First Responders, Doctors and Nurses that are on the front line? Or Hospital Officials that have said, “we love you but stay home, we can not handle a surge”. The same Officials that said “our hospital is very small and would be overwhelmed, you and your families are more safe staying where you are”
Well my hat is off to the many that chose to stay in place and not jeopardize others.
There are more cases than
OB resi Oak BluffsThere are more cases than reported bc the hospital is limiting testing and telling people they’re “presumed positive”. Those numbers aren’t included in the 8 positive. They need to ramp up testing so we know what we’re actually dealing with. Otherwise the community is being lulled into a false sense of security.
Also what are they doing in terms of contact tracing for this people? Are they warning local businesses that they were potentially exposed? This isn’t being managed well in my opinion.
Well put and I second that.
Right Whale Hooter BuoyWell put and I second that. Also those presumed positive who have quarantined I believe there is a protocol where people are supposed to be tested clear before they are released from quarantine. Are we moving toward a drive up test facility so we can identify and quarantine as many positive cases as possible ?
I have vacationed at our
Linda Klimm Hyannis-MenemshaI have vacationed at our cottage in Menemsha for atleast 30+ years. Last summer I injured my ankle severely and the Vineyard Hospital was exceptional helping me to get home. It is with great regret and heart break that I have decided not to travel to our cottage this year due to the Corona virus. Our thoughts and prayers are with all our neighbors and all year round residents. Hoping next year will bring better circumstances for all. Sincerely., Linda Klmm
I have two seasonal neighbors
COH EdgartownI have two seasonal neighbors in residence; one couple has not been seen for two weeks since they arrived; their car has never moved. The other is out constantly since day one...three times one morning, and three visits from service people. More people are here with young children who do not seem to be aware of physical distancing; there are very young children on bikes without helmets, as if it were summer. Regulars have not missed a beat using the EYC work out facilities as well as pickle ball and tennis courts. A gigantic dumpster has been delivered to a rental house in the neighborhood. Landscapers do maintenance rather than stay home. My point is, there are people who respect others and there are people who can't, or won't, take other people into consideration, even to set a good example. I see too much out and about during my walks...the total lack of respect for those making great sacrifices. But then then my year round neighbor taps on her window just to wave to me. Yes, year round or summer is not the real divide. It all comes down to respect.
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