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Local COVID-19 updates
May. 22nd, 2020 06:45 pmAs of 4PM this afternoon, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is reporting 80 more deaths from COVID-19 (for a total of 6,288 to date), 805 new cases (for a total of 90,889) and 10,158 more tests reported (for a total of 511,644). The ratio of new cases to new test results is 7.9%.
Most of the state-wide numbers went in the "good" direction today (fewer deaths, fewer cases, lower positive test ratio). More happily, all four of the "Dashboard of Public Health Indicators" numbers went in the "good" direction (as two fewer hospitals are shown as "using surge capacity").
Massachusetts has one of the highest per-capita testing rates in the country, and Governor Baker has set an ambitious goal of tripling the test rate by July and quintupling it by December. There's apparently some disagreement among epidemiologists, however, as to whether even that expansion will be useful at combating the coronavirus. As the Boston Globe reports:
( much quotage. very cut to save your reading page. )
My two cents: the sooner we can test/trace/isolate, the better. (We should have been doing that months ago.) Serology tests (which detect antibodies to the virus, not the virus itself) would also be hugely valuable as a surveillance tool. If I'm reading between the lines of the Globe story, at least one of the doctors quoted is pushing for serology tests instead of expanded diagnostic tests; if that's the case, then I think this is one of those times to embrace the power of AND.
The town of Acton has yet to post an update today; yesterday at 10PM, the town reported 158 cumulative cases of COVID-19 in Acton with 56 individuals in isolation, 81 recovered and 21 fatalities. (That's two more fatalities than the previous day.) In addition, the town tweeted today that the traditional Memorial Day ceremonies on the town common will not be held this year. That's not something to be happy about, but making more dead citizens would be even less happy.
Most of the state-wide numbers went in the "good" direction today (fewer deaths, fewer cases, lower positive test ratio). More happily, all four of the "Dashboard of Public Health Indicators" numbers went in the "good" direction (as two fewer hospitals are shown as "using surge capacity").
Massachusetts has one of the highest per-capita testing rates in the country, and Governor Baker has set an ambitious goal of tripling the test rate by July and quintupling it by December. There's apparently some disagreement among epidemiologists, however, as to whether even that expansion will be useful at combating the coronavirus. As the Boston Globe reports:
( much quotage. very cut to save your reading page. )
My two cents: the sooner we can test/trace/isolate, the better. (We should have been doing that months ago.) Serology tests (which detect antibodies to the virus, not the virus itself) would also be hugely valuable as a surveillance tool. If I'm reading between the lines of the Globe story, at least one of the doctors quoted is pushing for serology tests instead of expanded diagnostic tests; if that's the case, then I think this is one of those times to embrace the power of AND.
The town of Acton has yet to post an update today; yesterday at 10PM, the town reported 158 cumulative cases of COVID-19 in Acton with 56 individuals in isolation, 81 recovered and 21 fatalities. (That's two more fatalities than the previous day.) In addition, the town tweeted today that the traditional Memorial Day ceremonies on the town common will not be held this year. That's not something to be happy about, but making more dead citizens would be even less happy.