Local (and other) COVID-19 updates

As of 4PM this afternoon, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is reporting 138 more deaths from COVID-19 (for a total of 4,840 to date), 1,410 new cases (for a total of 76,743) and 10,514 more tests performed (for a total of 376,537).

In potentially-hopeful news, the count of people currently hospitalized for COVID-19 has been trending downward:

The number of people being treated for suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 in hospitals continued to fall, down 120 to 3,229. Saturday was the ninth time in the last 12 days that hospitalizations — a key metric state officials are watching — have fallen, and the number of people in hospitals is now at its lowest level in nearly a month. More than half of the people hospitalized have been over age 70.

In less-hopeful news, a third White House staffer - this time, a personal aide to President Trump's daughter Ivanka - has tested positive (but asymptomatic) for the coronavirus. USA Today is also reporting that at least eleven Secret Service employees are infected with the coronavirus, and sixty others are in quarantine; the report specifically noted that they do not know how many (if any) of the affected employees are agents assigned to Presidential protection.

The town of Acton has yet to post an update today; yesterday's report listed 120 confirmed cases in town; 51 of those being "cases in isolation that are actively being monitored".