Not a local COVID-19 update - yet again

Sigh. Today's COVID-19 Interactive Data Dashboard update is late for the second day in a row:

Please note: Today's COVID-19 data report has been delayed and will be published as soon as it is available.

Wonder what the problem is this time?

Local COVID-19 updates

No word as to why the data was delayed - again - but today's dashboard is finally available:

( Wall-o-text - only six high-risk communities this week )

Pretty much all the day-to-day changes are for the better - deaths down, cases down, estimated active cases down, hospitalizations down, seven-day averages for cases, hospitalizations and percent-positive all down. The current hospitalization count, at 385, is below 400 for the first time since October 20, 2020. About the only less-than-great news is a slight uptick in the seven-day deaths average, and a slight downtick in the daily test count.

The weekly city/town numbers also look really good; only six communities are in the highest-risk category, down from thirteen last week; the number of communities in the medium risk (yellow) category is also down (108 this week compared to 145 last week). The state as a whole still meets the yellow criteria (daily incidence greater than 10 cases per 100k population, but positivity less than four percent). This isn't over yet, but it's beginning to look like it might get there.

The big news today: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have changed their guidance for fully vaccinated people, effective today. In summary,

fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in any setting, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance

Or, as the Associated Press reports:
( Read more... )

Currently, Massachusetts still mandates mask wearing in indoor public spaces, and in outdoor public spaces when six feet of social distancing can't be maintained; there's also still a Federal mask requirement while on public transportation. I'm fine with continuing to mask up under those circumstances.

The town of Acton's current Google Data Studio dashboard is showing 11 active and 971 cumulative cases as of May 12. The most recent "newsflash style update" at 6PM on April 27, 2021 reported 951 cumulative cases with 13 individuals in isolation, 906 persons recovered and 32 fatalities.