12 / 5 / 2020

NCH President & CEO Gary Shaw on NCTV | Dec. 4, 2020

12 / 4 / 2020

Statement from NCH President on New COVID-19 Cases | Dec. 4, 2020

Gary Shaw, President & CEO, Nantucket Cottage Hospital

Today we reported 28 new cases of COVID-19 among patients who were tested on Wednesday at the Nantucket Cottage Hospital drive-through evaluation site. This the largest number of new cases we have reported for a single day of testing. A total of 105 new cases have been identified over the past week, and the seven-day positivity rate for the island is now at 7.5 percent.

COVID-19 cases have reached record highs in Massachusetts and across the country, and Nantucket is experiencing a similar surge that urgently demands our vigilance. We are grateful, and lucky, that none of these recent active cases of COVID-19 have required hospitalization yet, but the sheer number of people we have diagnosed through testing over the past week creates a potentially dangerous situation for the island.

I ask everyone on Nantucket to take personal responsibility and do all you can to reduce the potential for transmission in our community. That means wearing masks, staying physically distant, washing your hands, and not hosting or attending gatherings with people outside your immediate households. (more…)

12 / 2 / 2020

Statement on New COVID-19 Cases | Dec. 2, 2020

Today we reported 46 new cases of COVID-19 among patients tested at the Nantucket Cottage Hospital drive-through evaluation site on Monday and Tuesday. This is by far the largest number of new cases we have reported over a two-day span. A total of 81 new cases have been identified over the past week, and the seven-day positivity rate for the island is now at 7.6 percent.

This represents a significant spike in transmission of the virus on Nantucket, and we must take this situation extremely seriously. Nantucket Cottage Hospital is working actively with the Nantucket Health Department and hospital staff involved with contact tracing and case investigation to learn more about these new cases, and identify and quarantine any other residents who may have been exposed to them. We urge anyone who is contacted for case investigation to cooperate fully with contact tracing efforts and request that you adhere to quarantine requirements if you have been identified as having been exposed.

We implore the community to remain vigilant and take precautions to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus on the island, including wearing masks, physical distancing, refraining from gathering in large groups, and hand hygiene.

Vaccines for COVID-19 are on the horizon and new therapeutics are rolling out, but the country and Nantucket are still experiencing significant transmission of the virus. We ask everyone in the community to take personal responsibility and utilize the simple preventative measures we know will work to keep the island safe.