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Date: 1/17/2022
LUDLOW – Across two meetings, the Ludlow Board of Health discussed the current surge in COVID-19 cases as a result of the omicron variant and potential mitigation plans.
During the Jan. 10 Board of Selectmen meeting, Board of Health member Kelly Lamas came to discuss the numbers as of that date of the meeting.
“Right now, in town we have 678 positive cases and that is from Jan. 1 to Jan. 10. The labs are backlogged so what that means is people are getting their test results a little bit later than they had been before the surge, so we are looking at up to 48 hours turnaround time for the results. Some of these are delayed in terms of the efficiency or accuracy of the numbers,” she said. “We also know that a lot of folks are doing at home rapid tests and those numbers are not always reported correctly.”
Lamas said many of the breakthrough cases are occurring in people who are eligible for their booster shots.
“What we are seeing across the board is that with breakthrough cases, the trend has been that we are seeing folks who are getting breakthrough infections are in that window where their antibodies are a little bit lower because it is around the time they are eligible for the booster,” she said.
To help increase vaccination rates in town, Lamas said the town is working with Our Lady of Fatima Parish to host a vaccination clinic.
“There is a vaccine clinic coming up and that will be Jan. 19, it will be from 9 [a.m.] to 2 [p.m.] at Our Lady of Fatima Parish. All three vaccines will be offered so whether this is someone’s first dose, second dose or booster, that will be offered,” she said.
Lamas added that people who received the Pfizer vaccine are now eligible to receive their booster after five months instead of the previously required six months.
As a result of recent holiday gatherings, Lamas said much of the transmission was occurring at private gatherings.
“There are more people getting tested, everyone is going back to school, not only students but teachers, faculty and staff. In terms of community transmission, what we are seeing is it is happening at private, in-home gatherings and not necessarily in public,” she said.
Lamas added that many people are adhering to the mask advisory in indoor spaces, which is limiting spread in public.
Because contact tracing at the state level has largely ceased, Lamas said it has put more pressure on Public Health Nurse Angela Kramer.
“With the Contact Tracing Collaborative disbanded, contact tracing is really on the individual personal responsibility. The contact tracing can only go so far for one nurse, and she is operating at her full capacity right now. Before the holidays they entered surge protocol so that meant they were contacting the positives and anyone who had come in close contact with them,” she said.
Lamas added the state is doing little to provide relief to municipalities during a trying time of increased COVID-19 cases.
“Our infrastructure for public health in the state and nation was not solid to begin with and now it is even more so. It takes more at the state level to help with this infrastructure and getting omicron and COVID [-19] under control right now, and we are not seeing that,” she said.
After Lamas’ initial discussion with the Board of Selectmen, the Board of Health convened for a meeting on Jan. 12 to further discuss COVID-19 in the community. As of this meeting, Kramer said there were 837 positive cases so far in January, not included in those numbers are at home tests.
Lamas said the most severe cases are occurring in people who are unvaccinated.
“What we are seeing in the health care system is that those who are unvaccinated out of all the COVID [-19] positive patients at the hospital, a little over 70 percent are unvaccinated. We are seeing people who are unvaccinated are getting severe illness and hospitalization whereas those that are getting breakthrough infections are getting mild symptoms,” she said.
Kramer added that many of the breakthrough infections are occurring in people that have not yet received their booster shot.
As part of the discussion, board member Adrienne DeSantis said she wanted to send a strong message with a mask mandate in town.
“I am completely for it, I think we have prepared for this moment over the past few months and in a response to the numbers and exposures I support putting in a mandate, knowing that there are downfalls. I think we need to put out strong message we are going to keep our town safe,” she said.
Board Chair Michael LaFever said he was against a mask mandate.
“I am not for a town wide mandate, it is difficult to enforce, I am not sure with dealing with something as infectious as this variant we have now that it is really going to do a lot and I do not know whether it has made a difference in the communities they have done mandates,” he said.
Lamas said many people in town are already making their best effort to prevent spread in public.
“Extended use of masks as we are talking about in the public is wearing it when you go out to stores and we have the mask advisory up around town, the majority of people are wearing masks in public spaces and what we are seeing with the transmission is it is from the holidays,” she said. “There is no right way to respond, masking works, vaccines work and distancing works, but everyone is doing what they can to get through this time.”
Ultimately the board decided against imposing a mask mandate in favor of redoubling its education efforts around COVID-19.