With Halloween Around the Corner, Pittsfield COVID Cases Decrease

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — With Halloween weekend a week away, COVID-19 cases are decreasing.

Last week, Director of Public Health Andy Cambi reported that the city was experiencing a "mini" COVID-19 surge.  Around this time, the community impact dashboard reported an over 12 percent positivity rate, over 41 daily cases per 100,000, and around 100 estimated actively contagious cases.

On Wednesday, the positivity rate was 10.4, there were 33.6 daily cases per 100,000 and 81 actively contagious cases.  

There were 12 hospitalizations reported at Berkshire Medical Center on this day compared to the 18 reported cases early last week.

Cambi said that the city’s Biobot sewage testing is the most accurate way to get a gauge of COVID impact on the community, as the other metrics don’t include at-home tests.

The virus concentration halfway through this week was 1.8 million copies per liter, while it was over two million copies per liter at the beginning of last week.


Last week, the public health director reported that the city is trying to get the Bivalent booster in-house and working with the state to offer it through small clinics.  This booster contains a component of the original virus strain and a component of the omicron variant to provide better protection against the virus.

The city has been in the red incidence rate, which is the highest, for a number of months.

Parties and festivals have fully returned from hibernation during the height of the pandemic, the historic Pittsfield Halloween parade being one of the biggest comebacks.

This will be the 76th Halloween parade in the city after its two-year absence.

 


Tags: COVID-19,   Halloween,   


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More than 600 Participate in Steel Rail Races

iBerkshires.com Sports
PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- Matthew Ferraro was the first runner across the finish line at the MountainOne Steel Rail Marathon.
 
Ferraro clocked a time of 2 hours, 41 minutes flat on the Ashuwilticook Rail Trail course.
 
He finished a little more than five minutes ahead of runner-up Nick Reid (2:46:15).
 
Simone Veale won the race's women's division in a time of 3:18:42. She beat out Jill Hussain, who covered the course in 3:27:23.
 
The fastest marathoner on Sunday was Stephen Gulley, a hand cyclist, who clocked a time of 2:15:03.
 
The 26.2-mile circuit was covered by 150 finishers ranging in age from 18 (William Hanley in 14th place) to 72 (Ric Nudell, who finished in 6:04:47).
 
The day also featured a half-marathon and an 8-kilometer race.
 
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