The first case of omicron variant detected in Massachusetts, COVID cases rise on Cape Cod
Editor's note: Due to a reporting error, a discussion topic set for a Yarmouth Board of Health meeting Monday was incorrectly stated in the original version of this story. The board will discuss instituting a mask advisory for public town buildings only.
With COVID-19 cases and positivity rates rising across the Cape, the holiday season still in mid-swing and the first case of the omicron variant detected in the state, Yarmouth Health Director Bruce Murphy said vaccinations are more important than ever.
"People need to get vaccinated," Murphy said.
A woman in her 20s is the first known case of the omicron variant of the coronavirus detected in Massachusetts, the state Department of Public Health announced Saturday.
Genetic sequencing confirmed the variant, officials said. The unidentified woman — a resident of Middlesex County — is fully vaccinated, has experienced mild symptoms, and did not require hospitalization according to the state health department.
More: What we know about the first case of omicron COVID-19 variant detected in Middlesex County
Much remains unknown about omicron, including whether it is more contagious, as some health authorities suspect, whether it can thwart vaccines and whether it makes people as sick as the original strain.
Murphy said he is getting most of his information on omicron from news reports. But the information he's getting from the state on case counts and spread is eerily similar to last year.
"The numbers are going up all over the place," he said. "Last year the positivity rate and cases went up considerably in November and December. It appears we’re looking at that now with Delta."
The delta variant is the predominant variant in those testing positive for COVID-19.
COVID-19 cases continue rise on Cape: Plus there were seven deaths in last two weeks
COVID positivity rates on Cape Cod
Thirteen out of 15 towns on the Cape are reporting numbers over the positivity rate for the state. Five towns are showing twice the state's positivity rate.
The positivity rate is the percentage of all coronavirus tests performed that are actually positive. According to the state Department of Public Health, the positivity rate for Massachusetts is 3.6%. Barnstable County's rate is 6.67%.
The towns with the highest positivity rates are Orleans (8.47%), Dennis (8.3%), Sandwich (7.75%), Barnstable (7.49%), and Yarmouth (7.33%).
"We’re seeing a continuing increase in positivity within Yarmouth, and we haven’t moved up in vaccination rate," Murphy said.
Only 73% of Yarmouth residents are vaccinated, according to state officials.
The only two towns falling below the state average on positivity rates are Wellfleet (1.83%) and Provincetown (.51%).
COVID vaccinations, boosters
State health officials urge residents to take the steps already available to protect themselves against COVID-19, including getting vaccinated and receiving a booster shot when they are eligible.
The vaccine is free, and no ID or insurance is required for vaccination. A list of vaccination locations is available at vaxfinder.mass.gov. There are over 1,000 locations across the commonwealth to get vaccinated or receive a booster, but it's getting more difficult for some people to get tested and vaccinated.
"When you try to get on (a website to schedule a vaccination), people can’t get on," Murphy said. "They decide to get vaccinated and they can’t find appointments. They can't find boosters either."
More: Demand for COVID-19 vaccine exceeds supply on Cape — again
Murphy would like to see more testing and vaccinations for Barnstable County residents using some of the $41 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds recently received.
"Break out $1 million now to do more testing and vaccinations across the Cape," he said.
The Yarmouth Board of Health will meet today to discuss instituting a mask advisory for public town buildings only.
Gov. Charlie Baker last week announced an emergency order requiring any hospital or hospital system facing limited patient capacity to reduce non-essential, non-urgent scheduled procedures.
As of Friday, there were more than 1,000 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Massachusetts and more than 190 in intensive care units.
More than 19,000 people in Massachusetts have died from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Contact Denise Coffey at dcoffey@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter: @DeniseCoffeyCCT.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Massachusetts reports first case of omicron variant of COVID-19
