Coronavirus cases continued to spike on the Vineyard and throughout the state, with the Island boards of health reporting an additional five new patients on Friday and its highest weekly volume of active cases.
State case numbers nearly touched 1,500 new cases for the first time since very early May.
The Island has now reported 18 new cases of Covid-19 in the past week — by far the most in any seven-day period since the pandemic began. The Island’s previous weekly high was eight cases reported between July 5 and July 11.
All 18 cases are still “in progress,” according to an expanded demographic report provided by the boards of health on Friday, meaning those patients either in isolation or being followed by health agents. An additional patient reported two weeks ago remains in progress as well, making 19 currently active cases on the Island.
It was not immediately clear if any of the new cases reported Friday are related to a case cluster boards of health identified earlier this week that stemmed from a wedding held over Columbus Day weekend. Ten positive cases have been connected back to the cluster, eight of which remain on Island and six of whom are still in isolation, according to the latest board of health update.
Reached via email late Friday, Tisbury health agent Maura Valley said she did not believe that any of the five new cases were connected to wedding cluster.
In the expanded case demographic update, the boards of health reported that three of the new cases reported Friday were tested at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and two were tested at TestMV.
The hospital continues to test symptomatic patients and their close contacts for the virus, while TestMV is focused on testing asymptomatic patients.
The hospital’s daily online case update page is accurate as of 9 a.m. Fridday and does not include the three new cases reported by the boards of health.
Overall, 62 patients have tested positive for the virus at the hospital, and 45 at TestMV.
In total, the Island has now had 107 patients — 46 male and 61 female — test positive for the virus through a confirmed laboratory test. The age breakdown for patients is as follows: 14 under 20; 24 in their 20’s; 20 in their 30’s; eight in their 40’s; 19 in their 50’s; 13 in their 60’s; seven in their 70’s; two unknown.
During the past week, the Island has reported two new coronavirus cases last Friday, six on Monday, five more on Wednesday, four on Thursday and now five this Friday. Health officials have previously stated that many, but not all, of the cases are connected to the wedding cluster outbreak.
In the expanded report, health officials said that ten of the recent 18 cases are linked to another case. One of the new groupings since last week involves two cases; the other is an eight-case grouping that likely comprises the wedding cluster.
Statewide, case numbers eclipsed 1,000 new daily cases for the seventh day in a row, with the Department of Public Health reporting 1,488 new cases Friday — the most since early May.
The DPH also confirmed 23 new deaths from the virus, bringing the statewide total to 9,750 since the pandemic began.
There have been no Covid-19 related deaths on Martha’s Vineyard.
A hospitalized patient was released in good condition earlier this week.
