Pittsfield in Low 'Yellow Zone' for COVID-19 Transmission

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city is inching closer to entering the green incident rate for COVID-19 transmission after spending months in the "red zone."

Pittsfield has a 2.2 percent 14-day average positivity rate and an average of 14.5 cases per 100,000 people. This puts the city on the low end of the yellow incidence category for its case rate.

The next step down is the green incidence rate, which warrants an average of less than 10 cases per 100,000 people and no more than 10 total cases. The city was last in the "green zone" last summer.

There were 14 new cases on Sunday and there are currently 53 estimated actively contagious cases in the city, which is double last Thursday's number.

As of Monday, there were two people hospitalized in Berkshire Medical Center with COVID-19.

Vaccination numbers have stayed the same with 87 percent of residents having at least one dose and 76 percent being fully vaccinated. To date there have been about 10,300 cases in Pittsfield.

The 14-day average for tests on Sunday was around 313. Stop The Spread testing sites will be discontinued as of April 1, as the state is scaling back on the program.

This includes Pittsfield's site at 505 East St. However, Berkshire Medical Center will still be offering testing but it will no longer be covered by the state, Director of Public Health Andy Cambi clarified during a COVID-19 update to the City Council earlier this month.



Because of the city's low metrics, Cambi will only be giving COVID-19 updates to the council once a month moving forward as opposed to twice a month.  

The city reached the yellow incidence rate in the first week of March when the positivity rate dipped to 4.7 percent.  At the time, there were 26.2 cases per 100,000.

Around the same time, Superintendent Joseph Curtis announced that mask-wearing is now optional in Pittsfield Public Schools, and in February, the Board of Health voted to move the city's masking directive implemented in November to a masking advisory.

Cases began surging in November and the city entered the red zone late that month. Early that month, the Board of Health voted to implement a mask directive stating that masks should be worn in all publicly accessible indoor spaces in the city unless seated at a table eating food or drink.


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ADOPTED! Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Great news, Kyzer and Cali found a home for Christmas already! Still looking for a new friend for the holidays? There are plenty of dogs and cats and small animals at Berkshire Humane who would love to go home with you.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

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