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Berkshire County dealing with a continued COVID-19 increase

Berkshire Medical Center, part of Berkshire Health Systems, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
Adam Frenier
/
NEPR
Berkshire Medical Center, part of Berkshire Health Systems, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

Over the last several weeks, Berkshire County has seen a rise in COVID-19 cases. But hospitalizations have not spiked at the county's largest hospital.

According to the latest state data, Berkshire County has the highest daily incidence rate of COVID-19 in Massachusetts, at 32.7 cases per 100,000 people.

And Berkshire County's 14-day test positivity rate has risen by a full percentage point since late October to 2.94% , which is now higher than the state's rate of 1.87%.

Michael Leary is the spokesperson for Berkshire Health Systems, which operates Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield. He said the numbers are concerning, but there is a positive side.

"The people who are inpatients in the facility largely are experiencing less-acute symptoms than you would have seen a year ago, before there was a vaccine available," Leary said.

Leary said the hospital has been seeing a fluctuation of between 10 and 15 COVID-19 patients in recent weeks. That's a far cry from its high of 60 in January. And there’s been increased interest in COVID-19 testing.

"We are receiving over 600 calls a day from people who are trying to ask about being tested — testing for traveling, testing for school," Leary said. "Those numbers are significantly higher than what we saw just three or four months ago."

Leary said Berkshire Health Systems operates three testing sites in Berkshire County, and they've had to make staffing modifications to accommodate the increased demand. He also said many people have inquired about booster shots, the regular vaccine and the pediatric vaccine.

Elsewhere in western Massachusetts, 14-day positivity rates range from 3.15% in Hampden County, to 1.44% in Franklin County and 0.60% in Hampshire County — which is the lowest in Massachusetts.

Adam joined NEPM as a freelance reporter and fill-in operations assistant during the summer of 2011. For more than 15 years, Adam has had a number stops throughout his broadcast career, including as a news reporter and anchor, sports host and play-by-play announcer as well as a producer and technician.