No deaths in Provincetown cluster; Gov. Baker statement an error
PROVINCETOWN – A remark by Gov. Charlie Baker last week that one death had occurred among the cluster of COVID-19 cases from early July was in fact an error, Town Manager Alex Morse confirmed Wednesday.
Baker made the incorrect statement during a press conference on Thursday, Aug. 12. The cluster ultimately affected more than 1,100 individuals either who live in Provincetown, a summer tourist spot, or who visited the town during the first few weeks of July. The survivable symptoms, the few hospitalizations and no deaths have been a characteristic of the outbreak, which brought international attention to the town.
The mention of the death by Baker was in contrast to ongoing information provided by Morse on his official Facebook page, which has stated that no deaths have occurred so far related to the cluster.
The state Department of Public Health confirmed there have been no deaths related to the Provincetown cluster, Morse said Wednesday in an email to the Banner.
The outbreak, or cluster, was related to travel to Provincetown from July 3 to July 17, with disease onset before July 31, according to state public health material provided by Morse to the Banner.
As of Wednesday, there were 1,139 cases linked to the cluster — 621 cases were Massachusetts residents and 518 out-of-state. In Massachusetts, there were 246 cases reported with Provincetown addresses, with Boston having the next highest case count of 141, according to the material.
Nine hospitalizations have been linked to the cluster, six from Massachusetts and three out-of-state residents, with no deaths, the material stated.
Jurisdictions outside of Massachusetts with more than five cases include California, Illinois, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington and New York City.
In total, the cases are 88% male with a median age of 40. Frequently individuals who tested positive showed symptoms, and 75% of the cases among Massachusetts residents are known to be fully vaccinated, the state public health material stated.
Looking at 469 of the Provincetown clusters cases in July, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said three-quarters of the individuals had been fully vaccinated, and the majority of the cases were identified as being the highly contagious delta variant, according to a report from the centers.
The town's public health response ultimately guided federal health officials on July 27 to re-issue an indoor masking advisory for the nation and is prompting health officials to collect additional demographic information about underlying health conditions such as immunocompromising conditions in people who contracted COVID-19.
As of Wednesday, Provincetown continued to inch toward containment, according to Morse. The total number of active cases among Provincetown residents was nine. Testing and vaccinations continue at the Veterans Memorial Community Center daily from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. through at least Saturday, Aug. 21.
The indoor mask mandate for all public spaces, as invoked July 25 by the Select Board, will remain in place at least through Saturday, Aug. 21, according to Morse.
