Page 8 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, July 10, 2020 The Coronavirus Count State reports one new confirmed Saugus COVID-19 case, but the town has the 22nd highest COVID-19 rate in the state; death toll remains at 36 By Mark E. Vogler T his was another good week for Saugus since the state Department of Public Health (DPH) reported the town’s first resident testing positive for COVID-19 on March 19. There was just one new confirmed case of COVID-19 reported in Saugus over the past week, raising the total to 557 confirmed cases. This followed a week of no new confirmed cases and also marked the fourth consecutive week that there were fewer than 10 cases reported, according to new data released late Wednesday afternoon by the DPH. Meanwhile, the town’s death total from the virus remained at 36. The latest statistics are an indication that the Coronavirus may be slowing down as the town entered the first week of Phase 3 in Governor Charlie Baker’s Reopening plan – including the third week of indoor dining. However, the 557 cases reported for Saugus averages out to a rate of 1,959.52 per 100,000 – which is above the state average of 1,506.59 per 100,000 and is the 22nd highest rate among all communities across the state, according to the data released Wednesday. As of Wednesday, DPH officials reported 8,081 deaths statewide linked to COVID-19. Of those, 1,104 have been reported in Essex County The DPH has been releasing numbers of COVID-19 cases for all 351 municipalities, broken down by city and town, every Wednesday. The agency on its website will post the number of cases of people testing positive for the Coronavirus, and the number of cases per 100,000. But officials believe the numbers in most communities are substantially underreported because of the lack of aggressive testing for the virus. “The Saugus Health Department strongly believes that additional unrecognized cases DO exist in Saugus,” the town advised in a press release. “Due to the fact that they are undetected, some of these infected individuals may not be properly isolated or quarantined, which is why Gov. Baker has a safer at home advisory and continues to strongly request that everyone wear a cloth face cover over their face when around others, practice social distancing, avoid gatherings, and to follow the CDC and MDPH guidance.” Of the Saugus residents tested for COVID-19 over the last 14 days, 1.88 percent have tested positive for the virus, according to the latest state report. That is lower than the state positivity average of 2.25 percent over the same period. As of Wednesday, there were 16,342 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported in Essex County, the third highest among the state’s 14 counties. There were 109,143 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus statewide and 8,243 virus-related deaths. There were 1,131 COVID-19-related deaths in Essex County, the second highest among the state’s 14 counties. Nursing home update Of the total 36 COVID-19-related deaths reported in Saugus this week, the town’s two nursing homes accounted for 24 of them – but no new ones over the past week. There were 18 deaths reported at the Chestnut Woods Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, which is licensed for 88 total beds. There have been more than 30 cases of confirmed of COVID-19 at the facility. There were six deaths reported at Saugus Rehabilitation and Nursing, a long term care facility licensed for 80 beds. There have been more than 30 cases of confirmed of COVID-19 at the facility. The most recent Nursing Facility Audit Survey Results through June 26 show that Saugus Rehabilitation and Nursing has been “in adherence” with a recent 28-point Infection Control Checklist after being deficient in the first round of audits. Meanwhile, Chestnut Woods Rehabilitation and Health Care Center was “not in adherence” in two of its three audits. The latest state reports showed that 100 percent of the residents and 93 percent of the staff at both facilities had been tested for COVID-19. How Saugus compares to neighboring communities As of press time yesterday, town officials were unaware of any additional deaths of Saugus residents infected with the virus since 36 deaths were reported last week. Meanwhile, town residents are able to compare the number of COVID-19 cases confirmed in Saugus to those in neighboring cities and towns as well as communities of similar size by going to the DPH website at https://www. mass.gov/info-details/covid19-response-reporting – then click onto COVID-19 cases by city/town. Chelsea (7,845.56 per 100,000), Brockton (4,329.85 per 100,000) and Lawrence (4,126.98 per 100,000) have the highest rates in the state CORONAVIRUS | SEE PAGE 9
9 Publizr Home