Provincetown Cluster Now Linked To 833 COVID-19 Cases
PROVINCETOWN (CBS) -- The number of coronavirus cases connected to the Provincetown cluster has risen to a total of 833, Town Manager Alex Morse said Wednesday.
Of those cases, 501 are Massachusetts residents and 210 live in Provincetown. The other 332 are from out of state.
No deaths have been connected to the cluster but there have been seven hospitalizations, five in Massachusetts and 2 out of state.
"It is important to note that the case data are cumulative and do not represent the number of people with active cases of COVID-19, or the number of cases currently hospitalized. For instance, of the 210 cases identified among Provincetown residents since July 1, half have been released from isolation as of July 27 consistent with the timeframes associated with the virus' incubation and infectious periods and Department of Public Health guidance on isolation," Morse said.
The testing positivity rate peaked at 15% on July 15. As of July 27, the new lowest positivity rate since the cluster started was 5.9%.
According to Morse, a testing positivity rate of below 5% was considered progress toward containing the cluster, and anything less than 1% was considered contained.
On Sunday, the town implemented an indoor mask mandate to help control the cluster. The town's plan is to remove the mask mandate once the positivity rate dips below 3%.
