How an American town quickly stamped out Covid-19 7
The Fourth of July is always a big holiday for Provincetown, a small town in Massachusetts, with a series of parties and festivals attracting thousands of tourists from across the United States to the tip of Cape Cod.
`For us, it’s the start of summer,` said Christopher Roberts, owner of a toy store in Provincetown.
This town of about 3,000 people attracted attention last week, after becoming the subject of research that helped the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) change its guidance on masks.
CDC research published on June 30 said that 469 Covid-19 cases recorded in Massachusetts were people who had visited Barnstable County, where Provincetown is located, between July 3 and July 17.
The CDC found that about three-quarters of the cases were in fully vaccinated people, suggesting the virus can still spread in this group.
The CDC revised its mask guidance last week, recommending that vaccinated people still wear masks in enclosed spaces in areas at risk of disease spread to prevent the Delta variant.
`I used to think it was very difficult to get nCoV after getting vaccinated,` said Ken Horgan, owner of a hotel in Provincetown.
Sign announcing mandatory mask-wearing area in Provincetown, Massachusetts.
To limit the spread of the outbreak, local leaders immediately re-imposed a mask mandate in Provincetown, while fully vaccinated residents and business owners said they were also doing their part to increase food availability.
They say the new outbreak is a reminder that while vaccines are effective in preventing severe illness and death, they work best when combined with other prevention measures.
`We heard that we are almost invincible if we are vaccinated, but I think this is wrong thinking,` said Alex Morse, the town’s leader.
Debbie Nadolney, director of AMP Gallery in Provincetown, said that even though she and her husband and most of the people they know in town have been vaccinated, she still feels mask requirements and other restrictions have been overridden.
`For me it’s like a habit now. Only half of the US population has been vaccinated and we haven’t reached the 70-80% threshold yet. So why can we celebrate?`, she said.
About 57.5% of the US population has received at least one Covid-19 vaccine shot and about 49.5% have received the full dose, according to the CDC.
With a large number of tourists flocking to the town in July and mask-wearing regulations no longer widespread, Nadolney was not too surprised by the new outbreak.
Nadolney said she also made wearing masks mandatory in galleries and hopes this measure is not lifted soon.
`Provincetown is just a small place but clearly we are a testing ground for the whole country,` she said.
Roberts also instituted a mask requirement at the toy store and said employees will provide masks to customers who don’t have one.
Horgan, the hotel owner, said the outbreak was a wake-up call.
`If you plan to travel and are not vaccinated, please do not come to Provincetown,` Horgan said.
A person dressed as a needle to encourage passersby to get vaccinated in Provincetown, Massachusetts on July 24.
In an updated report dated July 30, the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment announced 934 Covid-19 cases related to the Provincetown outbreak as of July 29, of which 560 were Massachusetts residents and 231 lived in
Aside from the mask mandate, the latest figures show the town is moving in the right direction, according to Morse, the Provincetown leader.
`What we learned from this outbreak is that the Delta variant can spread quickly and attack even fully vaccinated people, but the likelihood of hospitalization is not high and there is certainly no risk of death.`
Jane Aronson, 69, is one of those infected with nCoV despite being fully vaccinated in Provincetown.
`That’s exactly what happened. At that time I was very scared but believed the vaccine would be effective,` she said.
