The state reported one new COVID-19 case in Harvard for the week ending Oct. 14, bringing the town’s cumulative number of confirmed cases to 189. For the week of Oct. 11, the Harvard Public Schools reported one student absent with COVID-19, two students in quarantine, and one staff member who was either in quarantine or had contracted the virus.
According to the state’s weekly vaccination report, 4,080 residents in Harvard were fully vaccinated as of Oct. 14, up by 14 since Oct. 7. Another 335 had received one dose of a two-dose vaccine, six less than on Oct. 7. Using the town clerk’s July 15 population data, the percentage of Harvard residents eligible for the vaccine (12 or older) and fully vaccinated as of Oct. 15 remained at 81%. Another 7% were partially vaccinated. These numbers do not include Devens residents or inmates at its Federal Medical Center.
Statewide, between Oct. 12 and Oct. 19, confirmed COVID-19 cases increased by 9,246, up from the previous week’s increase of 9,073. As of Oct. 19, 579 patients were hospitalized for COVID-19 statewide, up from 541 a week earlier; 150 patients were in ICUs, six more than the previous week. There were 80 COVID-related deaths between Oct. 12 and Oct. 19, down from 101 the previous week.
On Oct. 19 the Bureau of Prisons website reported no active cases among inmates, but there were 12 active cases among staff, up from seven the previous week. As of Oct. 19, 795 of the facility’s 826 inmates had been fully vaccinated, as had 357 staff members. Since the pandemic began, 341 of the current inmates and 65 staff have recovered from COVID-19; 13 inmates died of the virus.
