Aquinnah Board of Health - COVID-19 Update

To: residents of Aquinnah
From: Aquinnah Board of Health
Date: January 24, 2021
 

COVID-19 update #15

covid cases on MV: 782 confirmed since March 2020. Daily updates are posted in the MV Times.
covid cases in Aquinnah: 5 confirmed since March 2020.
testing in Aquinnah: Take-home test kits for COVID-19 are available for Town employees, residents, and EMS personnel. No payment or insurance required. Pick-up at Town Hall. Please contact us to arrange a pick-up time: email: boh-assistant@aquinnah-ma.gov or phone 508-645-2309.

a test kit story: A resident packed a test kit for travel and, while off-Island, tested before returning home. Their test result was positive for COVID-19. The person decided to isolate off-Island for 14 days and made a full recovery. We appreciate the protective measures that were taken; this exemplifies how our test kits can be used to help prevent the spread.

To find out more about our testing program, visit the Board of Health webpage:
aquinnah-ma.gov/board-health/pages/covid-19-town-testing-program

testing on MV: The drive-thru test site at the high school is available for all residents and visitors. Insurance is accepted or you can request free testing. Register online: health.questdiagnostics.com/IHC

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--- MA COVID-19 Vaccination Schedule ---

Phase 1: December – February;        Phase 2: February – March;       Phase 3: April – ongoing

The MA State House and the MA Department of Public Health have full control of the covid vaccine supply and vaccination schedule. The MV Hospital will be administering the vaccine and has received a limited supply for Phase 1. Currently, vaccines are available for healthcare workers who face patients, and first responders in Police, Fire and EMS departments.

The next group that is currently eligible for vaccinations are home-based health care workers and health care workers doing non-COVID-facing care (including office staff). If you’re in this group, sign up for the vaccine by contacting the vaccine manager at the MV Hospital: Brittany Baron; email: bbaron1@partners.org or phone: 508-957-0140

Other residents eligible during Phase 1 are listed in order of priority on the mass.gov website:
https://www.mass.gov/covid-19-vaccine

For local information you can visit the MV Hospital vaccine webpage:
https://www.mvhospital.com/health-resources/vaccine-information

To ask specific questions, contact the vaccine manager at the MV Hospital: Brittany Baron; email: bbaron1@partners.org or phone: 508-957-0140

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tick update in Aquinnah: 17 confirmed tick-borne disease cases since March 2020.
Some ticks are still active during the winter. Consider using tick repellent while outdoors and perform tick checks daily. If you think you might have a tick-borne disease, please call your doctor or the MV Hospital to get tested. The sooner a tick-borne disease is treated, the better the recovery.