Swansea, MA COVID-19 Resources and Info

Official Town Website

Breakthrough Case Review Finds 97% of COVID-19 Cases in Vaccinated Individuals Don’t Result in Severe Illness

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The following is a release from the Baker-Polito Administration:

BOSTON –– Today the Massachusetts Department of Public Health released a review of breakthrough COVID-19 cases in vaccinated Massachusetts residents and found nearly 97% of all breakthrough cases in the Commonwealth have not resulted in hospitalization or death. Additionally, the review found unvaccinated residents are five times more likely to become infected than fully vaccinated residents (two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or one dose of Johnson & Johnson) and unvaccinated residents are 31 times more likely to become infected than fully vaccinated residents who have received a booster. 

The review also found that 99.9% of breakthrough cases among fully vaccinated people under the age of 60 did not result in death. Among the breakthrough cases for residents over the age of 60, 97% did not result in death. No deaths have been reported in breakthrough cases among those under age 30.

“The data are clear. This review shows that fully vaccinated people in Massachusetts have near-universal protection from severe illness and death and that boosters are demonstrating even stronger protection from COVID,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders. “Amid the season of gathering indoors and the emerging Omicron variant, the time to get vaccinated and boosted is now. It is the best gift of protection for yourself and your loved ones.”

“Vaccination continues to be the most effective tool we have against Omicron and all COVID-19 variants,” said Acting DPH Commissioner Margret Cooke. “The data indicates that fully vaccinated and boosted individuals are well protected from severe outcomes of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death, and the Department of Public Health strongly urges all residents to get vaccinated and, when appropriate, get a booster.”

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Omicron Variant Detected in Massachusetts

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Residents urged to get COVID-19 vaccine, booster

Note: The following is a press release from Gov. Baker’s office:

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) today announced that genetic sequencing has identified the COVID-19 Omicron variant for the first time in a case in Massachusetts. The individual is a female in her 20s and a resident of Middlesex County who traveled out of state. She is fully vaccinated, has experienced mild disease, and did not require hospitalization. The variant was identified through sequencing performed at New England Biolabs.

While Omicron is classified by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization as a Variant of Concern, scientists are still working to determine how it may compare with the predominant Delta variant in terms of transmissibility and disease severity. There is some limited evidence that Omicron could be more transmissible than other COVID-19 virus variants, including Delta. This variant is being monitored closely by public health authorities around the world, and more information about what we know about Omicron is available on the CDC website.

All three COVID-19 vaccines in use in the U.S have been shown to be highly protective against severe disease resulting in hospitalization or death due to known COVID-19 variants and remain the single best way for people to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their community from COVID-19. There are over 1,000 locations across the Commonwealth to get vaccinated or receive a booster. The vaccine is free, and no ID or insurance is required for vaccination. Visit vaxfinder.mass.gov for a list of vaccination locations.

Other public health prevention measures that help stop the spread of COVID-19 variants include: getting tested and staying home if you are sick, frequent handwashing or use of hand sanitizer, following masking requirements, and telling your close contacts if you test positive for COVID-19 so they can take appropriate steps. To learn more about protecting yourself from COVID-19, visit www.mass.gov/covidvaccine.

Residents are also urged to enable MassNotify on their smartphone. The service can be accessed through both Android and iPhone settings; it is NOT an application that can be obtained through an app store. This private and anonymous service notifies users of a potential exposure to COVID-19 so they may take the appropriate precautions. For more information and instructions on enabling MassNotify on your smartphone, visit https://www.mass.gov/info-details/learn-more-about-massnotify.

The State Public Health Laboratory, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and several hospital and academic laboratories have all contributed to sequencing efforts in Massachusetts during the pandemic. This sequencing data contributes to the tracking of clusters and patterns of disease spread. This in-state laboratory capacity to sequence variants allows Massachusetts to not have to rely on out-of-state laboratories.

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Town of Swansea Shares Updated COVID-19 Guidance from CDC Amid Uptick in Cases

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Residents Urged to Get Vaccinated to Slow Spread of Delta Variant

Town Administrator Mallory Aronstein, Public Health Nurse Emily Lachance and Fire Chief/Emergency Management Director Eric Hajder wish to share the latest safety recommendations and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases within Swansea.

The Swansea Board of Health reports a 200% increase in COVID-19 cases within the community since July 14. Over the course of July 1 through July 14 there were nine confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 within the community. Since July 15, the number of COVID-19 cases has skyrocketed with there currently being 27 confirmed or probable cases.

“Over the past couple of weeks, the Town of Swansea has experienced a significant increase in COVID-19 cases,” Town Administrator Aronstein said. “Out of an abundance of caution and in line with best health practices, we recommend that our residents wear face masks while indoors to prevent further spread of COVID-19 and its Delta variant.”

Residents who have not already done so are urged to get vaccinated. Doing so greatly reduces the risk of significant illness from COVID-19, including the Delta variant. To find a location where you can be vaccinated, visit vaxfinder.mass.gov.

According to public health reports, only 59% of eligible individuals ages 12+ in Bristol County are fully vaccinated. Swansea’s current vaccination rate is 61% with more than 85% of senior residents ages 65+ vaccinated, but only 42% of 12-18 year old residents vaccinated.

Virtually all COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths in the United States continue to be among unvaccinated individuals. The most significant levels of spread and most severe cases of illness and death associated with COVID-19 — including Delta variant cases — are occurring in places with low vaccination rates. Additionally, vaccinated individuals represent a very small portion of total Delta variant transmissions.

The CDC announced on Tuesday, July 27, that it is recommending that those in “areas of substantial and high transmission” should wear a mask in indoor public settings, even if they are fully vaccinated. According to the CDC, Massachusetts is currently an area of moderate transmission, but communities in Bristol County are areas of substantial transmission. As such, residents in the Town of Swansea are strongly urged to wear a mask while in indoor public settings.

According to the CDC, the COVID-19 Delta variant is far more easily transmissible than the initial COVID-19 infection. The Delta variant has most recently surged to become the predominant variant – from less than 1% in May to over 80% of all U.S. COVID-19 cases in July.

The CDC and local officials encourage residents to get vaccinated and continue masking until they are fully vaccinated. Vaccinations will prevent severe illness, hospitalization and death relating to COVID-19, while also reducing the spread of the virus through communities.

The CDC also announced a recommendation for a universal indoor mask mandate for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status, when schools return to full-time, in-person learning this fall.

To learn more about the Delta variant, click here.

 

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Towns of Somerset and Swansea Announce State Authorization for Future Regional Vaccine Sites

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Regional Vaccine Collaboration Between Somerset, Swansea, Fall River, Attleboro and Taunton

Somerset Town Administrator Richard Brown, Swansea Board of Selectmen Chairman Christopher R. Carreiro and Public Health Nurse for the Towns of Swansea and Somerset Emily Lachance are pleased to announce that a regional vaccination collaborative between the Towns of Somerset, Swansea, Fall River, Attleboro and Taunton has been approved by state.

“The approval of our regional vaccine clinics is a credit to the group efforts of the Somerset, Swansea, Fall River, Attleboro and Taunton communities,” Public Health Nurse Emily Lachance said. “This endeavor would not have been possible without the steadfast collaboration between each of the five communities.”

Following the approval of their proposed regional collaboration, the Towns of Somerset, Swansea, Fall River, Attleboro and Taunton will begin planning clinic logistics with the assistance of the state Department of Public Health.

The proposed clinics will be hosted five days per week with each town hosting a respective clinic on an assigned day. The Towns expect to receive 750 vaccines per day to administer at the scheduled location, but this number may vary due to limited doses.

All individuals eligible to receive a vaccine across the state will be able to make an appointment at these clinics.

“We look forward to taking the next steps in helping to move along the immunization process and providing this service to our residents and neighboring communities,” Swansea Board of Selectmen Chairman Carreiro said. “I would like to thank the state for its approval of our regional collaboration and we look forward to working alongside DPH to facilitate these clinics.”

Though the regional vaccination collaborative has been approved, the communities do not have the vaccine yet due to the current constrained supply of vaccine doses. Once the collaborative is allocated doses in the coming weeks, additional information regarding the regional clinic will be shared.

“We are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to partner with our neighboring communities to offer a regional vaccination clinic for our community members and residents across the state,” Swansea Town Administrator Aronstein said. “This regional clinic will give us the bandwidth to once again vaccinate our residents in a streamlined and accessible manner.”

Added Town Administrator Brown, “Receiving the news from the state that we will once again be able to continue our work in providing COVID-19 vaccinations to our community members was a huge victory for our residents. We have worked tirelessly to secure and administer doses of the vaccine, and the soon-to-be-scheduled clinics will be the direct results of our efforts.”

Additional information regarding the regional vaccination clinic’s registration and timeline will be shared once it is available.

 

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