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Covid-19 Information
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Northampton Weekly COVID-19 Dashboard
COVID-19 Update 11/22/2022
Information on current trends in COVID transmission:
Based on CDC data, Hampshire County remains in the “low” risk level in terms of hospitalizations and strain on the healthcare system due to COVID. We also remain at a “substantial” level of community transmission of COVID. Although COVID levels appear to have plateaued, the CDC has released information that this year's flu season has started six weeks earlier than usual, and that indicators of flu rates are already at a level not seen since the 2009 H1N1 swine flu outbreak. A national outbreak of a disease called RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), which is particularly dangerous for infants and the elderly, is also causing shortages of pediatric hospital beds in our region.
Currently the best ways to avoid becoming ill and to protect our community are still the same: getting all recommended vaccines including the new bivalent booster vaccine, wearing a high quality surgical or KN95 mask in indoor public spaces or in crowds, regularly washing hands, and improving ventilation indoor spaces (such as opening windows, using HEPA or MERV13 filters). If you have covid symptoms, get tested and stay at home.
More information on current isolation and quarantine guidelines can be found HERE.
More information on specific prevention measures can be found HERE.
Wastewater sampling information:
Starting in September, Northampton’s wastewater is being tested to assess the concentration of COVID-19 viral particles. Since many people are now relying on at-home rapid tests, commercial positive test rates tend to underestimate COVID in the community. Sampling wastewater gives us an additional indicator of local levels of transmission, that could better capture asymptomatic, untested, and unreported cases. These data support the conclusion that we are currently seeing a plateau in local COVID transmisison.
More information on wastewater sampling can be found HERE and HERE.
Learn More About COVID Community Levels
Hampshire County Community Level Tracker
View COVID-19 Dashboard Archive
Questions about the COVID-19 Dashboard? Email healthdept@northamptonma.gov
Note about current COVID-19 case data: The presented data is most likely an undercount of cases in the community. This is due to factors such as lack of reporting of home self-tests and the presence of asymptomatic cases.
