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Coronavirus Updates For Western New England: Friday, March 20

Updated at 10:10 p.m.

Officials in New England have identified the deaths of seven people testing positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Four deaths have taken place in Connecticut — including one announced Fridaytwo in Vermont, and now one in Massachusetts.

The total number of people testing positive for the disease has grown to more than 800 across New England. 

Massachusetts released new numbers Friday showing the state now had identified 413 cases, an increase of 85.

Mainereported 56 cases of the disease, an increase of a dozen from the day before. Connecticut reported 194 — 35 more than the day before. Vermont had seven new cases, with a total of 29 patients testing positive.

New Hampshire said it's now at 55 cases, an increase of 11. Rhode Island's caseload jumped 10, to 54 patients testing positive.

Those numbers include "presumptive positive cases" identified by state and local labs, as well as cases confirmed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Officials expect that number to rise significantly in the coming days, as more testing becomes available.

Testing still limited in western Massachusetts

Western Massachusetts hospitals are making tough decisions over whom to test for the coronavirus as capacity remains limited. Hospitals are prioritizing health care workers and first responders, followed by people with a doctor's order.

Michael Leary of Berkshire Health Systems said they're testing about 90 people a day in their drive-through center in Pittsfield, by appointment only. That could change with the supply of testing swabs.

"We're testing as well as we can, but there is a national shortage of swabs for this," Leary said. "So we're keeping a close eye on that and we will have to adjust if that becomes a true shortfall for us."

Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton reported a shortage in the liquid needed to send out specimens to labs.

"We're working with all of our partners and through the state, through even our local representatives, really identifying this as a concern," said Estevan Garcia, chief medical officer for Cooley Dickinson.

If the hospital had more testing supplies, Garcia said, "We would absolutely be testing more broadly and really looking more at kind of community spread and testing for surveillance, as opposed to [just] for illness."

Partners HealthCare, which owns Cooley Dickinson, said it's trying to restock its affiliated hospitals but cannot say when that will be.

Mercy Medical Center in Springfield said it could not comment on its testing capacity, and Baystate Health said Friday that no one was available for an interview.

Baker activates National Guard in Massachusetts

Gov. Charlie Baker activated the Massachusetts National Guard on Thursday, planning to use up to 2,000 members for "logistical support and other assistance" in the state's response to the coronavirus outbreak.

In an evening press release announcing the activation, Baker's office said the order will bring new supply chain resources on board to respond to state and local requests for equipment, logistics, warehousing and other duties.

"Activating the National Guard will help support our Administration’s efforts to keep residents safe and secure during the COVID-19 outbreak," Baker said in the release.

Baker has on several occasions in the past week emphasized that he is not planning a statewide shelter-in-place order.

Child welfare agency restricts some home visits

Social workers with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families will start limiting face-to-face visits with children in the care of the state because of the threat of COVID-19. DCF workers say they will still make emergency visits and see some children, but will assess the safety of each scheduled at-home visit.

The state issued guidance to the social workers Wednesday.

“With schools and child care centers closing and parents experiencing higher levels of stress for a variety reasons, including potential loss of work, it is increasingly important for us to remain in contact with our children and families to assess safety and address imminent needs they may have,” the document says.

The union representing social workers says, at this point, there are no reports of DCF staff infected with the disease.

NEPR’s Karen Brown, Sam Hudzik contributed to this report, which includes information from State House News Service, VPR, WBUR and WNPR.

New England Public Media's newsroom is located at 44 Hampden Street, Springfield, MA 01103-1413. Send news tips or press releases via email, or call the newsroom directly at 413-735-6622. Keep up with New England Public Media on Facebook or Twitter.
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