Orange is the only Franklin County town this week listed in the state’s COVID-19 “red” or highest-risk category, marking an improvement over last week, when Deerfield, Sunderland and Athol in Worcester County were also in that category.
According to the Department of Public Health’s most recent figures, updated on Thursday, Orange reported 27 new positive cases over the past two weeks. Deerfield and Athol are now listed in the “yellow” or higher-risk category along with Montague, Erving and Greenfield, with 24, 51, 23, 19 and 38 new positive cases, respectively. Meanwhile, Sunderland found itself in the “green” or lower-risk category, with 14 new positive cases over the previous two-week period.
Six towns — Buckland, Hawley, Heath, Leyden and Monroe — reported zero new positive cases during the same time frame, while 10 towns reported fewer than five cases. Colrain reported eight and Northfield reported nine, while Charlemont, Gill and Whately each reported six new cases. All of those towns are listed in the “gray” or lowest-risk category.
In Worcester County, the North Quabbin towns of Petersham and Royalston both reported fewer than five new positive cases over the past two weeks, putting them in the “gray” category, while Phillipston found itself in the “yellow” category after reporting 16 new cases.
The state Department of Public Health determines which category to place a municipality in based on population and the number of COVID-19 cases reported over a two-week period.
HospitalizationsBaystate Health reported 134 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 within its system in Western Massachusetts as of Friday, with six confirmed at Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield. There were 12 people in its critical care unit in Springfield, but the hospital system does not report in which towns and cities those people reside.
VaccinationsMost towns are coming out of Phase 1 of the three-phase COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan. Phase 2 will begin Monday, but that does not mean people who were eligible to receive the vaccine in Phase 1 won’t be able to be vaccinated in Phase 2.
First responders, health care workers, nursing home staff and residents, and corrections officers and inmates were among those in Phase 1, and most are receiving their second dose in February, while people 75 years old and older will be the first eligible to receive the vaccine in Phase 2. Then, people 65 years old and older will be eligible, along with people who have at least two underlying conditions.
To learn more about each of the phases, visit bit.ly/2MCA6Eo. For a map of where to sign up for the vaccine, visit bit.ly/3pwq0Um.
For more information and updates on the COVID-19 vaccine, call the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) Vaccine Information Hotline at 413-774-3167, ext. 153.
Testing resourcesPeople who do not show symptoms but would like to be tested for COVID-19 can do so at the state’s Stop the Spread site at Greenfield Community College. Sign up for a self-administered test at bit.ly/2MgITMr.
Community Health Center of Franklin County is testing asymptomatic people on Tuesdays in Greenfield and Fridays in Orange. For more information, visit chcfc.org/testing.
Valley Medical Group in Greenfield offers testing by appointment only for its patients for any reason Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 413-774-6301 for an appointment.
Baystate Franklin Medical Center also does daily testing for people, symptomatic or asymptomatic, with a doctor’s referral. Visit bit.ly/36nfsPP or call 413-795-TEST (8378) to make an appointment.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst’s COVID-19 testing site is free for people who are asymptomatic. To sign up for a test, visit bit.ly/2MCCZVK.
Reach Anita Fritz at 413-772-9591 or afritz@recorder.com.January 30, 2021 at 04:20AM
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Only one area town in COVID-19 highest-risk category this week - The Recorder
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