Provincetown Coronavirus Cluster Rises To 765 Cases

PROVINCETOWN, MA — The number of coronavirus cases linked to a cluster in Provincetown rose to 765 on Tuesday, health officials said. Of those, 469 are Massachusetts residents, and 199 live in Provincetown.

Despite officials reporting 335 new cases in town since Saturday, just three people have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported, Barnstable County health officials said.

"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," said a spokesperson for the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment. "For instance, of the 199 cases identified among Provincetown residents since July 1, half have been released from isolation as of July 26 consistent with the timeframes associated with the virus' incubation and infectious periods and Department of Public Health guidance on isolation."

The cases stemmed from a busy 4th of July weekend, and officials on Saturday said about 70 percent of those infected were fully vaccinated. It's unclear how many of the new cases reported Tuesday came from vaccinated people.

Following the outbreak, the Provincetown Select Board and Board of Health voted unanimously in an emergency meeting Sunday to reimplement an indoor mask mandate.

"We are entering a new stage of COVID," Town Manager Alex Morse said. "COVID, while depressing for many of us, is not going away anytime soon."

Last week the board approved a mask advisory for both inside and outside, but Morse said the advisory wasn't enough to stop the spread. He said the town's positivity rate for COVID-19 tests needs to drop before emergency measures can be lifted. As of Tuesday, Provincetown's five-day average positivity rate is at 7.9 percent.

"If we have a test positivity rate below 3 percent for a period of at least five days, the mandate will shift to an advisory, and if under 1 percent for a period of at least five days, the advisory will be lifted," Morse said. "If test positivity goes over 1 percent, the advisory is reimplemented, and if the test positivity rate goes over 3 percent, the mandate is reimplemented."

Testing and Vaccines

Town officials reminded the public that testing and vaccines are essential tools to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Morse also reiterated that COVID-19 vaccines are effective, and symptoms are less severe for those who are fully vaccinated.

Free testing is being offered at the Veterans Memorial Community Center parking lot at 2 Mayflower St. Testing is available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., everyday through Friday, Aug. 6. Vaccinations are also available at the community center Monday through Friday, through Aug. 6.

The site offers the two-shot Pfizer vaccine and the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Vaccines are free and do not require an appointment or health insurance.

Town officials said they're also working with the county to distribute 1,200 BinaxNOW at-home COVID-19 testing kids. Officials said they'll be given to local businesses, residents and visitors.