Page 12 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, May 7, 2021 Middlesex Sheriff’s Office using wastewater analysis to monitor for COVID Middlesex Jail & House of Correction the first county jail to partner with Cambridge-based Biobot Analytics B ILLERICA, Mass. – The Middlesex Jail & House of Correction has become the first county correctional facility in the nation to partner with Cambridge-based Biobot Analytics to monitor and identify the presence of COVID-19 in wastewater, Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian announced this week. “We’re excited to work with Biobot on this new initiative,” said Sheriff Koutoujian. “Throughout this pandemic, our decision-making has been medically driven and guided by the science. Partnering with Biobot – a national leader in wastewater epidemiology – enhances our ongoing efforts and will allow us to detect any re-emergence of COVID-19 inside our facility and act rapidly to mitigate it.” Sewage contains valuable information on human health because viruses, bacteria and chemical metabolites are excreted in urine and stool. Through wastewater epidemiology, Biobot Analytics uses the data present in wastewater to gain valuable insights that shape the health of communities. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Biobot has worked with communities across North America to measure SARS-CoV-2 trends in sewage. Because of the early onset of viral shedding, wastewater data has been shown to be a reliable leading indicator of COVID-19 cases. This allows officials to make more informed decisions on a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction basis. “Sheriff Koutoujian and his team are pioneers in their adoption of wastewater epidemiology to monitor and promote the health of the community living in the Middlesex Jail & House of Correction,” said Biobot President & Cofounder Newsha Ghaeli. “As we move into the later stages of the pandemic, it’s even more important to have early-warning methods to detect COVID-19 outbreaks. Equipped with better data, the Sheriff’s Office is well positioned to make better decisions, and we hope other counties across the country will follow in their footsteps.” The initial four weeks of samples collected at the Middlesex Jail & House of Correction have shown levels of COVID in wastewater that have been consistent with the results of direct testing involving incarcerated individuals. The most recent two samples analyzed by Biobot found no detected COVID-19. That finding is in line with the results of COVID-19 testing conducted on 54 incarcerated individuals that showed zero positive cases. “The results of the samples analyzed by Biobot show the processes and procedures we have put in place – including testing, mask wearing and quarantining of newly admitted individuals – continue to be effective in mitigating the impact of COVID at the Middlesex Jail & House of Correction,” said Sheriff Koutoujian. “The information gathered through the Biobot testing is providing us with an additional crucial layer of confirmation.” The efforts the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office (MSO) have undertaken over the past 14 months have been highlighted nationally during recent conferences hosted by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) and the American Jail Association (AJA). In addition, a peer-reviewed publication focused on data collected and analyzed about vaccine enthusiasm and hesitancy among incarcerated individuals and staff at the Middlesex Jail & House of Correction will be published in an upcoming edition of the Journal of Urban Health. Samples are being collected weekly for 26 weeks utilizing an automated sampler that has been installed at the Middlesex Jail & House of Correction. MSO staff will deliver samples directly to Biobot, reducing shipping time and allowing the office to receive results sooner. As part of the testing, the MSO has also opted into Biobot’s variant detection program, with any positive samples further examined for the presence of the variant first detected in the United Kingdom (B.1.1.7). In addition to working with Biobot, the MSO has recently installed ultraviolet (UV) germicidal irradiation disinfection equipment in the HVAC system that provides air to and from the Health Services Unit (HSU) at the Middlesex Jail & House of Correction. The UV system improves air quality by killing the COVID-19 virus in the HVAC system. All incarcerated individuals who test positive for COVID-19 are placed in the HSU. “The deployment and implementation of these innovative systems in our jail highlights our ongoing focus on COVID-19,” said Sheriff Koutoujian. “Moving forward, we hope to continue to work with Biobot to conduct surveillance testing that will help maintain a healthy, safe environment for our staff and those in our custody.” Future uses for the Biobot technology at the Middlesex Jail & House of Correction could include facility level monitoring for areas ranging from opioids to infectious diseases and influenza. To learn more about the MSO’s ongoing COVID-19 response, please visit middlesexsheriff.org/covid19. Baker-Polito Administration Celebrates COVID-19 Business Relief Program, Awards Final Round of Grants Final round results in nearly $4.8 million in grant awards to 108 additional businesses; more than $687 million in direct cash payments delivered to 15,112 of state’s hardest hit businesses L OWELL –Governor Charlie Baker, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy, legislators and key partners on Thursday celebrated the success of the Baker-Polito Administration’s COIVD-19 business relief program administered by the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC). Gathering in person at the family- and minority-owned Panela Restaurant in Lowell, a program grantee, the Administration announced the end of the program, which has provided over $687.2 million in direct cash grants to 15,112 businesses across the Commonwealth. Among the awardees included in the final round were 108 additional businesses that received a total of approximately $4.8 million in COVID relief grants. First launched in October 2020 as part of the Administration’s Partnerships for Recovery initiative to stabilize and grow the Massachusetts economy, this program became the biggest Law Offices of JOSEPH D. CATALDO, P.C. “ATTORNEYS AND COUNSELORS AT LAW” • ESTATE/MEDICAID PLANNING • WILLS/TRUSTS/ESTATES • INCOME TAX PREPARATION • WEALTH MANAGEMENT • RETIREMENT PLANNING • ELDER LAW 369 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 (617)381-9600 JOSEPH D. CATALDO, CPA, CFP, MST, ESQUIRE. AICPA Personal Financial Specialist Designee state-sponsored business relief program in the nation after being infused with an additional $668 million in December. Established to provide direct financial support for businesses, the Administration has tapped numerous partners to ensure specific economic sectors and priority demographics known to be the most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic applied to the program and were prioritized for aid. Over the duration of the program, 43 percent of MGCC grants were awarded to minority-owned businesses, and 46 percent of grants went to women-owned businesses. Businesses owned by veterans, individuals with disabilities, or that identify as LGBTQ, as well as those operating in Gateway Cities and not previously awarded aid, also received substantial grant support. Additionally, one-third of the total program funding (about $224 million) has benefited the hard-hit restaurant and bar industry, with personal services like hair and nail salons ($91 million), and independent retailers ($62 million) rounding out the top sectors. “Thanks to the work of Mass. Growth Capital, more than $680 million in direct financial assistance has been deployed to over 15,000 businesses across Massachusetts, many of which are located in the communities that have had the greatest need during this pandemic,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Recognizing that our small business community employed close to half the Commonwealth’s workforce prior to the pandemic, this program has been instrumental in helping to keep these enterprises going while supporting a substantial percentage of our workforce as we approach what we hope are the final months of this public health crisis.” “This program, which was designed to provide vital support to small businesses in need, is one component of our larger strategy to help the Commonwealth’s economic recovery from this unprecedented public health emergency,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “I want to applaud MGCC for their success with this program and GRANTS | SEE PAGE 22
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