TRURO — Summer 2020 came and went with nearly the usual influx of tourists, many of them from metropolitan areas with far higher incidence of Covid-19. But the infection rate […]
Health & Healthcare
MOVEMENT
Does Your Home Work Station Need a Check-up?
Good ergonomics to keep your body working for you
Back in March, you set up your laptop on the dining room table and the kids took to the couch with their devices. You figured you could make do — […]
TOWN MEETING PREVIEW
Truro Pulls Firefighter Override off Warrant
Provincetown fire chief says he’ll stick with Lower Cape Ambulance
TRURO — Town meeting may feel more like recess this year, as voters gather outdoors at the Truro Central School ballfield at noon on Saturday, Sept. 26. Even the warrant […]
PANDEMIC WAVES
Covid Infection Patterns Shift
Cape Cod’s July cases look different from last spring’s
PROVINCETOWN — Look closely, and Barnstable County’s graphs of new Covid cases and deaths tell a story. There’s an upward swell of discovered cases that begins a couple weeks after […]
PUBLIC HEALTH
‘Please Talk,’ Say Coronavirus Contact Tracers
Key Covid containment measure works only if people cooperate
PROVINCETOWN — Massachusetts is ramping up efforts to find positive cases of coronavirus. Asymptomatic screening programs are being expanded around the state, and Provincetown recently announced it will begin a […]
PERSONAL HISTORY
‘Who Have I Doomed?’
Timeline of a coronavirus scare
TRURO — As my close friend and neighbor calmly explained to me on the phone that he had a high fever and was showing potential coronavirus symptoms, my eyes drifted […]
HELP LINES
Wellfleet, Taking Cue from Provincetown, Dials In on Mental Health
Community members are on call, so no one has to go it alone
Editor’s note: In the Aug. 6 print edition of the Independent the Well Line’s phone number was incorrect. The correct number has been substituted below. WELLFLEET — “We all have to go […]
THE NEW NORMAL
Wait Time for Covid Test Results Presents Challenge
Screening efforts are increasing, but cost and speed matter
PROVINCETOWN — The goal is clear and workable: at some point, we’ll be able to systematically screen for coronavirus, identify asymptomatic carriers early, and effectively squelch community spread. What we […]
NO FREE LUNCH
Summer Food Program Takes a Hit From Covid-19
About 600 children go without lunch for a day
After a kitchen worker tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday, the region’s entire federally supported free lunch program, which spans Harwich to Provincetown, was shut down on Monday. Thirteen staffers […]
ADDICTION
Crystal Meth Surges in More Potent Form
The stimulant, ever popular in Provincetown, is spreading Cape-wide
PROVINCETOWN — Though crystal meth has long been a fixture in Provincetown’s drug scene, the rest of the Cape is experiencing its first big brush with the extremely addictive stimulant. […]
CORONAVIRUS
With Few Positives, Gaps in Reporting Remain
Visitors’ Covid test results are unavailable
WELLFLEET — There were no positive Covid-19 tests among the 987 people tested in Provincetown and Wellfleet during a two-day period in June, the Independent has learned. The tests, administered […]
OCHS Resumes Routine Appointments
PROVINCETOWN — Outer Cape Health Services, which operates urgent and primary care clinics in Provincetown, Wellfleet, and Harwich, is encouraging its primary-care patients to schedule routine health care appointments previously […]
HEALTH
How Much Is a Covid Test? Who Can Get One?
The answer, as usual: it’s complicated
PROVINCETOWN — Health care is rarely simple. The question of who can access it, where, when, and for how much often gets a conditional and specific answer that’s different for […]
COUNTY SEAT
Assembly Vote on Covid Rules Shows East-West Divide
The Outer Cape’s delegates, and Sen. Cyr, beg to differ
PROVINCETOWN — The Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates adopted a resolution on June 17 questioning the legality of Gov. Charlie Baker’s Covid-19 response. The Outer Cape’s delegates opposed the resolution, […]
DOG DAYS
Pandemic Is No Treat for the Four-Legged
While owners shelter at home, anxiety can be infectious
WELLFLEET — Though canines won’t be receiving a stimulus check, that doesn’t mean they haven’t been affected by the coronavirus crisis. Because of your dog’s acute ability to sense stress […]
