Page 2 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2021 Stuck in the mud By Mark E. Vogler P aige Canale walked right into harm’s way last Friday (Feb. 5) while hiking along the Saugus River as she filmed a video for Tik Tok. “She thought it would be a good shot of herself going through the mud of the banks of the Saugus river at low tide,” Saugus Fire Department Lt. Damian Drella said. “Well, anyone from around here knows the mud of the ocean is like quicksand and cannot be negotiated with. Luckily she had her phone and was able to call 911 for help when she sank to over her knees in the soft mud,” Drella said. Firefighters pull Lincoln Street resident Paige Canale, 21, from the Saugus River when she got stuck in the mud while out for a hike last Friday morning. (Courtesy photos, WCVB-TV/Stanley Forman) $2.19 Canale, 21, of Saugus, in interviews with the news media, later credited the firefighters who rushed to the scene after But, during the rescue, she kept telling firefighters not to take photos of her — even though she was in her pre“Firefighters were able to crawl out to her wearing water rescue suits and help her get unstuck. She refused medical treatment and was left to Tik-Tok another day,” he said. her emergency 911 call with saving her life. “Watch me risk my life for Tik Tok,: Canale boasted in one post, followed by film footage of her brush with danger. THE RESCUE SCENE: A crew of Saugus firefighters team up to pull Paige Canale out of knee-deep mud to safety last Friday (Feb. 5) along the banks of the Saugus River near Stocker Playground. The 21-year-old Saugus woman got stuck in the mud while filming her walk for Tik Tok, a video-sharing social networking service owned by Chinese company Byte Dance. (Courtesy photo by Saugus Fire Department Lt. Damian Drella to The Saugus Advocate) dicament because of a photo shoot, according to firefighters. Saugus’ newest firefighter, Johnathan Cromby, placed a rope around her waist, and the rescue crew pulled her to safety. Cromby will be attending the Mass fire academy in the near future. Firefighters responded to the scene at about 9:30 a.m. Canale got stuck in the mud along the Saugus River near Stocker Playground. Canale could not be reached for comment, but did not respond to an effort by a Saugus Advocate reporter to contact her by social media. Local doctors weigh in on top COVID-19 variant By Christopher Roberson D espite the downward trend in COVID-19 cases, the variant strain, known as B117, continues to gain momentum. Although other variants exist, Dr. Lou Ann Bruno-Murtha, the division chief of infectious diseases at Cambridge Health Alliance, said B117 has been the most prevalent variant thus far. Yet, she remained confident in the vaccines that were developed by Moderna and Pfizer at the end of last year. "Fortunately, the three variants that have received recent attention appear to remain susceptible to antibodies produced in response to the two authorized vaccines currently in use,” she said. “Although the mRNA vaccines may be mildly less effective against this variant, most vaccine experts do not believe this subtlety will be clinically relevant.” However, Bruno-Murtha said the situation could easily spiral out of control just as it did when the original COVID-19 virus surfaced nearly one year ago. “More variation will occur as the virus continues to widely circulate,” she said. “If infections can be reduced and quickly controlled, there will be less of an opportunity for the viruses to mutant and gain selective advantages. Given some evidence that these variants are more transmissible, ongoing efforts to maximize personal safety remain essential.” Dr. Benjamin Linas, an infectious disease specialist at Boston Medical Center, said B117 is simply the product of “natural mutation.” “It is 100 percent normal and expected for viruses to mutate,” he said, adding that errors are inevitable at some point during the replication process, thus spawning a new variant. “There are a lot of viruses in an infected person’s body and even a tiny percentage of successful mutations will result in new variVARIANT | SEE PAGE 18 Heart Art What’s with this column of red hearts hanging from this tree and where are they located? To find out, read this week’s “Saugus Gardens in the pandemic.” That should get your Valentine’s Day weekend off to a good start. And if you are thinking of buying flowers for a certain someone, read a Valentine’s Day poem called “Flowers,” which might offer you some tips. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener)
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