Quote Weâre seeing a big bump in cases now. So, we were planning for it, and expecting that there was going to be a rise.
â Dr. Alan Kulberg, chairman of the city s Board of Health
They expected a surge in new infections after the holidays. And sure enough, test results received last week contained the highest concentration of particles of SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus, of any test since the city began monitoring sewage for the virus over the summer, according to Ricardo Morales, commissioner of Public Services and Utilities.
A test kit consists of three vials and some ice packs for sewage samples to be sent to a lab for the novel coronavirus RNA.
BY THE NUMBERS: Berkshire County saw 75 new COVID-19 cases Thursday and Friday but no new deaths, leaving the pandemic death toll at 138, with the confirmed case count for
PITTSFIELD â With about 70 staff having tested positive for COVID-19, a flood of hospital visits on New Yearâs Eve forced Berkshire Medical Center to order employees to keep working after their shifts ended.
Yet, the rush of patient visits Thursday was not a pandemic-related surge, but rather one of the hospitalâs occasional pre-holiday flurries, possibly mixed with people looking for virus testing, since the companyâs testing center was closed that day.
âThe majority were not COVID,â said Jennifer Vrabel, director of development at Berkshire Health Systems, noting that the testing center reopened Friday.
âSuch surges at any hospital any time of year are not that unusual,â said Michael Leary, director of media relations, adding that the hospital has plans in place for these kinds of events. âItâs somewhat rare, but itâs not all that rare.â
LEE HEALTHCARE: A Lee nursing home has had a total of 10 COVID-19 deaths as of Thursday, the state Department of Public Health said. Lee Healthcare, operated by Next Step Healthcare, has had over 30 cases to date, although Next Step has not provided The Eagle an exact number of cases or the number of active cases.
Next Step last updated the COVID-19 dashboard on its website Wednesday, when it reported two new cases at Lee Healthcare, in addition to 12 new cases Monday.
MOUNT WASHINGTON VIRUS FREE IN 2020: Just two of Massachusettsâ 351 municipalities finished 2020 without a confirmed case of COVID-19. Mount Washington, in Berkshire County, and Hawley, in Franklin County, have not had a case reported by the DPH.
DEATHS AT BERKSHIRE PLACE: Katie Coburn, administrator at Berkshire Place in Pittsfield, has confirmed that two of three residents who tested positive for COVID-19 have died, while the third has recovered.
Coburn said that the facility, at 290 South St., has seen some infections among staff members as well, but those employees have recovered.
With this daily feature, The Eagle runs down breaking local developments in the coronavirus crisis.
BY THE NUMBERS: Berkshire County saw two additional COVID-19 deaths as of Thursday, for a new total of 138 deaths, with the confirmed case count up 62 to 2,907, the state Department of Public Health said.