Martha's Vineyard Hospital is bearing the brunt of a recent Covid-19 spike with the 'highest virus patient activity' it has faced since the start of the pandemic, two weeks after President Barack Obama's 60th birthday celebration on the island.
The number of new Covid cases on the Vineyard has surged to 158 since the August 7 bash, with 87 new infections reported last week and another 71 confirmed this week as of Friday afternoon, DailyMail.com has learned.
Three patients are currently hospitalized with the virus, while a fourth is reported to be experiencing symptoms, and a fifth was airlifted to Boston in critical condition, the Vineyard Gazette reported Wednesday.
Of the four patients on the island, only one is said to be in serious condition, chief nurse and head of hospital operations Clair Seguin said in a press conference.
The hospitalizations mark the 'highest amount of Covid-positive patient activity we've had since the onset of the pandemic,' the health official added.
The number of new Covid-19 cases on Martha's Vineyard has surged to 158 since President Barack Obama's 60th birthday bash on August 7. Pictured: The Obamas poses with singer H.E.R., manager Jeanine McClean (far left) and another partygoer at the party
Obama is pictured on Sunday enjoying brunch beneath a marquee following his huge birthday party the night before. Another 71 Covid-19 cases were reported on the island this week as of Friday afternoon, in addition to the 87 recorded last week
Officials at Martha's Vineyard Hospital say the facility is seeing 'the highest amount of Covid-positive patient activity' since the onset of the pandemic, thanks to the surge in cases
Although the number of people hospitalized with Covid-19 is relatively low compared to other regions, officials say it comes 'at a very busy time' for the hospital - the only one in Dukes County - and it has put a strain on its emergency room.
The hospital had only seen a handful of Covid patients at a time for most of the pandemic. In early December it reported that it was treating one Covid patient - its first since Thanksgiving Day weeks earlier.
'We're bursting at the seams,' hospital CEO Denise Schepici, said in Wednesday's briefing.
Health officials, however, say they have yet to see a link between the 158 recent cases and the maskless, star-studded event at Obama's Martha's Vineyard estate.
'As of today I haven't seen any cases linked to the Obama party,' Tisbury health agent and boards of health spokesperson Maura Valley told DailyMail.com.
'We still have contact tracing going on, but I think if there were cases popping up from the party we'd be seeing them already,' she added.
She said there may be a chance health authorities could start seeing cases emerge from the celebration, but added that it is unlikely at this point.
Earlier this week, the boards of health in four towns on the island voted to reinstate mask mandates in indoor public spaces amid the surge, the Gazette reported.
The restriction would reverse officials' decision to roll back Covid regulations in May when cases fell dramatically thanks to vaccination efforts.
It comes a week after DailyMail.com revealed at least 74 people had tested positive since the former president's birthday extravaganza last Thursday - the
