Plymouth COVID-19 update

According to information provided on the Plymouth Board of Health, the following numbers as of Sept. 14 are confirmed COVID-19 cases for Plymouth. Information on variants and/or breakthrough cases is not readily available at this time.

New cases: 40

Current active cases: 165

Male: 18/Female: 22

Total cases since March 2020: 5,933

Ages:

0-10: 7

11-20: 2

21-30: 8

31-40: 7

41-50: 6

51-60: 2

60+: 8

Deaths since March 2020: 153 (total)

According to the Sept. 9 COVID-19 report from the Department of Public Health, Plymouth's numbers have increased from those of the previous week. Plymouth County and the town of Plymouth are still classified by the CDC as "high risk for transmission" or "red"​ since there were more than 100 total new cases/100,000 population over the past seven days. Plymouth County's corresponding number was 135.84 while the town of Plymouth's was 156.2.

Seventy percent of residents who are eligible for vaccines are now fully vaccinated while 78% have received at least one shot. 

The 75+ age group is now 86% fully vaccinated while those in the 65-74 age group are also 86% fully vaccinated and those in the 50-64 age group are 76% fully vaccinated. The number of new weekly second shots was 280, so the numbers are still increasing slowly. 

While Plymouth is doing well in comparison to some states, it should be noted that for those with 1+ vaccinations, our 12-15 and 30-49 age groups are still both below the state numbers by 14% and 15% respectively. The comparable numbers for the  20-29 group is 8% below the state average.

In order  to reach the 70%-80% fully vaccinated goal, 38,600-44,144 of our vaccine-eligible population must be fully vaccinated. That fully vaccinated group now numbers 38,302. If everyone who is now partially vaccinated becomes fully vaccinated, that number will increase to 42,798 or 77.6%. At the current vaccination rate, it will take about 15 more weeks to reach that number.

Also note that (using the Massachusetts state numbers that include the entire population including those in the 0-11 age group) the percentage of those in the state with 1+ doses of vaccine is currently 72% while in Plymouth that number is now 68%. That indicates that Plymouth is below the state's overall benchmark by 5%. According to the CDC, the percentage of those with 1+ doses of vaccine in Massachusetts as of Aug. 20 is 75.5%. The source of this discrepancy is unclear.

The rise in positive cases of COVID caused by the Delta variant is outpacing the increases in those who are vaccinated. It is now estimated that pediatric COVID cases currently account for about one in five of new infections. Recent reports indicate that the Delta variant is as infectious as the chickenpox virus and that those with “breakthrough infections” can harbor large numbers of virus particles in their noses and throats, making them capable of easily infecting others even though they usually have mild symptoms.

For more information about coronavirus cases in Plymouth, visit the health department website at https://www.plymouth-ma.gov/public-health-department-0.

To locate vaccination sites in Massachusetts, visit https://vaxfinder.mass.gov/. To find out about getting tested for COVID-19, go to www.mass.gov/info-details/find-a-covid-19-test.

For details on how to avoid contracting the disease, go to www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare.