Cases increased again this week. Wastewater surveillance data confirms that the number of infections in the community is indeed increasing. Hampshire county has moved from "substantial" transmission back to "high" transmission, but is still in the low risk category, based on infections and hospitalizations. Hospitalizations also increased last week, although the rate of increase seems to be slowing. Most counties around us have moved into the "medium" risk category, reflecting increased hospitalizations.

We are somewhat insulated from the brunt of complications related to COVID-19 because of high vaccination rates. We are not yet able to track bivalent boosters at the community level, although I hope that information is made available soon. The only metric we can use right now to estimate protection is the number of boosters received since the start of the pandemic, which is out of date. I'm attaching a vaccine recommendation flowchart I developed with input from colleagues and the City of Easthampton Health Department. I think it's helpful to see how vaccine recommendations have actually been simplified. Essentially, everyone over age 5 should get the bivalent booster regardless of how many prior doses they have received. (Children under 5 who received the Moderna vaccine should get the bivalent booster.)

Data indicates that those with a bivalent booster are 50% less likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19. Hospitalizations and deaths in this area, while lower than the national average, are continuing to occur, as evidenced by increasing cumulative totals on the weekly COVID-19 dashboard. It seems to be getting more difficult to make an appointment to receive the bivalent booster. If you are having difficulty, I recommend getting in touch with the Department of Health. They'll know where to direct you!

Click Here for more information