THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, July 31, 2020 Page 9 The Coronavirus count State reports 13 new confi rmed Saugus COVID-19 cases; no new deaths reported By Mark E. Vogler fter six consecutive weeks of fewer than 10 confi rmed new cases of the Coronavirus infecting town residents, there was a slight uptick noticeable. There were 13 new confi rmed cases of COVID-19 reported in Saugus over the past week, raising the total to 579 confi rmed cases, according to new data released late Wednesday afternoon by the state Department of Public Health (DPH). Meanwhile, the town’s death total from the virus remained at 38. For the third straight week, the state did not publish the rate of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population – a statistical analysis which three weeks ago had Saugus with a rate of 1,959.52 per 100,000, the 22nd highest rate among all communities across the state. Saugus has ranked among the top 25 in confi rmed COVID cases per 100,000 for most weeks since the town’s first resident tested positive for the virus on March 19. The statistic made it easy to compare the incidence of COVID-19 in diff erent communities, large and small. The DPH website now includes a measurement which focuses on test results over the past 14 days up until Wednesday. Those statistics showed 6,425 Saugus residents have been tested for the virus so far – including 792 over the past 14 days. Of those tested, there were 23 confi rmed cases of the virus for a positivity rate of 2.90 percent during that time. That is higher than the average state positivity rate of 1.74 percent. As of Wednesday, DPH offi cials reported 8,580 deaths statewide linked to COVID-19. Of those, 1,175 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. As of Wednesday, there were 17,119 confi rmed cases of COVID-19 reported in Essex County, the third highest among the state’s 14 counties. There were 116,684 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus statewide. How Saugus compares to neighboring communities 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 A going to the DPH website at https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-response-reporting, then click on COVID-19 cases by city/town. Here’s how nine other area communities compare to Saugus: Lynn: 3,858 cases, 175 total positive tests in the last 14 days, 4.39 percent positivity. Revere: 1,927 cases, 103 total positive tests in the last 14 days, 6.25 percent positivity. Everett: 1,843 cases, 54 total positive tests in the last 14 days, 3.90 percent positivity. Malden: 1,302 cases, 39 total positive tests in the last 14 days, 2.40 percent positivity. Peabody: 1,038 cases, 32 total positive tests in the last 14 days, 1.79 percent positivity. Saugus: 579 cases, 23 total positive tests in the last 14 days, 2.90 percent positivity. Wakefi eld: 326 cases, 6 total positive tests in the last 14 days, .83 percent positivity. Melrose: 281 cases, 30 positive tests in the last 14 days, 1.55 percent positivity. Reading: 304 cases, 5 positive tests in the last 14 days, .76 percent positivity. Lynnfi eld: 100 cases, 3 positive tests in the last 14 days, .94 percent positivity. Statewide totals: 109,096 cases, 3,265 positive tests in the last 14 days, 1.74 percent positivity. (Data compiled by DPH and made public as of July 29, 2020.) Tips to protect yourself (off ered by the Town of Saugus) Please follow CDC and MDPH guidance to prevent COVID-19 illness by: • Clean your hands often for at least: 20 seconds • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth • Stay at least 6 feet between yourself and others • Stay home as much as possible – only leave for essential reasons • Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others Please stay healthy and please call us with any needs. We are her [sic] for you. For more information, contact the Saugus Health Department at (781) 231-4117 and/or the Town Manager’s offi ce at 781231-4111. For additional information about COVID-19, go to the town website at https:// www.saugus-ma.gov/ and pull down the bar titled “COVID-19 Resources.” L USS Constitution (2) By Th e Old Sachem ast week I showed you the early actions of the USS Constitution that was built in Boston and later refurbished in Marblehead. I listed the various battles against the English during the War of 1812 and the pirates of the Mediterranean. Ships built in this era were expected to last between 10 and 15 years. In 1830, Secretary of the Navy John Branch did a routine survey of ships in the reserve fl eet, and the commandant of the Charlestown Navy Yard, Charles Morris, estimated that the cost to repair the Constitution was over $157,000, which was a very substantial amount at that time. An article appeared in the Boston Advertiser on September 14, 1830, which erroneously claimed that the Navy intended to scrap the Constitution. Two days later, Oliver Wendell Holmes published the poem “Old Ironsides” in the same paper, and the poem was spread all over the nation, igniting public indignation and inciting eff orts to save the ship. In response to the outbursts, Secretary Branch approved the costs of repair. It took a while before reconstruction could develop in earnest because the shipyard was undergoing completion of a new drydock. A sister ship, Congress, that accompanied the Constitution in the War of 1812, was declared unfi t for duty and was ultimately scrapped in 1835. On June 24, 1833, the Constitution entered the new drydock. Captain Jesse Elliot, the new commander of the navy yard, oversaw the reconstruction. The ship remained in drydock until June 21, 1834, and the scrapped old planking was used to create souvenirs, walking canes, picture frames and even a phaeton that was presented to President Andrew Jackson. Jackson was extremely unpopular in Boston, but Elliot directed the installation of a new fi gurehead of the President under the bowsprit. Elliot received death threats, and rumors started about the citizens of Boston storming the navy yard to remove the fi gureheads themselves. A merchant captain, Samuel Dewey, accepted a small wager as to whether he could do the removal. Elliot posted guards around the Constitution to preserve the fi gurehead, but Dewey crossed the Charles River in a small boat, and accompanied by thunderstorms to mask his movements, he was able to saw off most of Jackson’s head. The severed head was prominent as it made the rounds of several taverns and meeting houses in Boston. Later Dewey presented the head to Secretary of the Navy Mahlon Dickerson, and it remained on Dickerson’s library shelf for many years. Elliot was named the captain of the Constitution, and the ship sailed to New York in March 1835. Elliot ordered replacement of Jackson’s head on the bowsprit in New York, free from the criticisms of the Boston public. Her fi rst duty was to carry Edward Livingston to his post as Ambassador to France. After it returned to Boston, the ship was ordered to take the station as the fl agship of the Mediterranean fl eet. She made uneventful patrols and diplomatic visits. Elliot collected various ancient artifacts to carry back to America and USS | SEE PAGE 16 Fixed Rate Mortgages NO POINTS 15 YEAR .% RATE .% APR* L 30 YEAR .% RATE .% APR* For more rates visit our website at EVERETTBANK . COM
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