Barnstable County health director Sean O’Brien is thanking the many volunteers who are helping Cape Cod respond to the pandemic.
In a press briefing Thursday morning, he thanked those who have volunteered for the county’s new grocery delivery service for the eldery and vulnerable, the Medical Reserve Corps, the Community Emergency Response Teams, and more.
They, along with first responders, medical personnel, and people making face masks, deserve the community’s gratitude, he said.
“We’ve always had very strong volunteer organizations here in the county because everybody kind of knows we’re on our own,” he said, calling the Cape "essentially an island."
While the state reported 252 new fatalities on Wednesday, its highest yet, O’Brien pointed out that the number of people hospitalized has leveled off.
About 3,900 people in Massachusetts are receiving hospital care for COVID-19. That’s 6 percent of all cases.
Meanwhile, people continue to seek testing. Fifty-seven vehicles drove through the test site at Cape Cod Community College on Wednesday.