The researchers noted that it's not surprising that three-quarters of cases in the Provincetown outbreak occurred among the vaccinated, because a full 69% of the town's vaccine-eligible residents have gotten their shots-a number that's much higher than the national average. There were no deaths linked to the outbreak. In all four of those hospitalized cases, patients had underlying medical conditions that upped their odds for severe COVID-19, the researchers found.Ī fifth case requiring hospitalization occurred in an unvaccinated patient, Brown's team noted, and that case also involved an underlying medical condition. There was some good news, however: While many of the 346 cases among vaccinated individuals might have made them feel miserable for a time-coughs, headache, sore throat, aches and fever being the major symptoms-there were only four cases (1.2%) in this group that required hospital care. Catherine Brown of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. In 89% of those cases, the highly contagious Delta variant was implicated, concluded a team led by Dr. Three-quarters (74%) of those cases occurred among people who'd gotten their COVID vaccinations an average of almost three months before. “I would also like to humbly thank the residents of Barnstable County who leaned in to assist with the investigation through their swift participation in interviews by contact tracers, willingness to provide samples for testing, and adherence to safety protocols following notification of exposure,” she said.New data on the outbreak, released Friday, shows there were a known total of 469 COVID-19 cases "associated with multiple summer events" among Provincetown revelers. Walensky thanked state and local collaborators for their work on the investigation. Of those cases, nearly three-quarters occurred in people who were fully vaccinated. The CDC reviewed 469 Massachusetts cases among people who were in Provincetown between July 3 and 17. ![]() The cases included 531 Massachusetts residents, 220 of whom live in Provincetown. The report acknowledged the role of travel and large public gatherings in the outbreak and said event organizers and local health officials should assess whether limiting capacity at gatherings or postponing events may be warranted.Īs of Thursday, 882 confirmed cases had been tied to the Provincetown cluster that started around the Fourth of July. “This finding is concerning and was a pivotal discovery leading to CDC’s updated mask recommendation,” she said. High levels of virus suggested a higher risk of transmission and raised concern that vaccinated people can transmit the Delta variant, unlike with other variants, according to Walensky. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said the investigation showed the Delta variant produced high viral loads, regardless of whether or not a person was vaccinated. “So I think it's one of those things where we just have to realize that even if we are vaccinated, we're not bulletproof.” “So just because someone is vaccinated does not mean they can't transmit the Delta variant, and likely not the other variants as well,” she said. The report suggests that even in communities without substantial rates of COVID-19 transmission, jurisdictions “might consider” expanding prevention measures, such as the wearing of masks in indoor public settings, regardless of vaccination status.Ī mandate or recommendation along those lines would be stricter than the CDC guidance issued Tuesday, which said people should wear masks indoors in public settings in areas of substantial or high transmission.Įrika Woods, deputy director of the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment, told CAI the Provincetown outbreak shows that the Delta variant, detected in 90% of specimens from 133 patients in the study, is highly virulent and easily transmissible. ![]() In a new report, the CDC outlined its Provincetown investigation, conducted in concert with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Barnstable County, and other local partners. The outbreak of COVID-19 in Provincetown directly informed a decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to tighten its mask guidance this week, the federal agency said Friday.
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