10 new cases of COVID-19 reported on Cape Cod, COVID-19 hits Cuttyhunk, island in state’s tiniest town

10 new cases of COVID-19 reported on Cape Cod

By Dennis Coffey
Posted Jul 19, 2020

BARNSTABLE — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health on Sunday reported 218 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 for a total of 106,882 cases statewide to date.

Ten of those new cases were in Barnstable County. The total number of cases on Cape Cod to date is now 1,622.

No newly reported cases of confirmed COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, were reported in Dukes or Nantucket counties. According to the state data, the total number of cases to date in those counties is 59 and 27, respectively.

No new deaths related to the disease were reported in Barnstable, Dukes or Nantucket counties. To date, 154 people have died as a result of COVID-19 on the Cape. One death due to the disease is listed for Dukes and Nantucket counties combined. Nantucket Cottage Hospital previously reported the death on that island.

Cape Cod Hospital reported one patient hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19.

Falmouth Hospital had two patients being treated for COVID-19, and Nantucket Cottage Hospital had one patient diagnosed with the disease.

None of the hospitals reported COVID-19 patients in their intensive care units.

Martha’s Vineyard Hospital had no patients admitted with confirmed or suspected COVID-19.

COVID-19 hits Cuttyhunk, island in state’s tiniest town

By Ethan Genter

Posted Jul 19, 2020 

Seasonal resident tests postive for the coronavirus; 25 others tested.

CUTTYHUNK — The coronavirus reached the most isolated part of the state this week after a seasonal resident on Cuttyhunk, one of the handful of small islands that make up the town of Gosnold, tested positive for COVID-19.

The woman, who had been on-island for a little over a week, went to the mainland to get tested and was confirmed positive on Wednesday, said Gosnold Selectman Gail Blout.

The remote island, which sits between Vineyard Sound and Buzzards Bay, has a minuscule town government, but has started contract tracing and secured 25 test kits Friday.

The kits came over on the ferry and were administered by a visiting doctor from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston to people who came into close contact with the woman, Blout said. The tests have been sent to the mainland to be processed and results are expected next week. All of the people who were tested are self-isolating.

Cuttyhunk is the only public island in Gosnold and is accessible by ferry from New Bedford. Like the rest of the state, the tiny speck of land has been struggling economically due to the pandemic, but remained one of the few towns that did not have a confirmed positive case until this week.

There are limited medical services on the island, which goes from about a dozen residents in the winter to several hundred in the summer. The closest hospital is a boat ride away in New Bedford, though there is a rotating visiting doctor program in the high season. There is no pharmacy or walk-in clinic.

The island has taken precautions against COVID-19. Masks are required at town docks and harbors, as well as on the ferry. The harbor, which is extremely popular with boaters, was closed until June and the town sent out precautions to people, saying they would have better access to food, supplies and medical care on the mainland.

“If you must go to the island, please adhere to all requirements for social distancing, use of face masks if 6 feet of distancing can’t be maintained, limit the size of gatherings to no more than 10, frequent handwashing, etc,” an advisory from the Board of Health read.

People have been coming to the island, though the population seems smaller than most summers. The town is continuing to urge people to wear masks, socially distance themselves and be safe.

The harbor has been full on the weekends. The island’s lone market is operating curbside pickup and the handful of restaurants are takeout only. Some seasonal residents have opted to stay on the mainland this summer.

“We’ve been very diligent about keeping people updated with the guidelines from the state,” Blout said.

The town is working with the state Department of Public Health and is hoping to get more test kits. The woman who tested positive was the first person on-island who has been tested, according to Blout.

Right now, the Board of Selectmen, which doubles as the Board of Health, is awaiting the test results of the 25 kits they did secure.

“We’re following all the guidelines and we’re hoping we’ll not have a large outbreak,” Blout said.