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Local COVID-19 updates
May. 18th, 2021 05:53 pmThe state's fancy Tableau data visualization doodad appears to be broken; however, the raw data file does seem to be available, so I can actually provide more readable data than the state currently can!
( Wall-o-text )
And the data ... is mixed. Newly reported deaths are down day-to-day, but newly reported cases are up. Estimated active cases continue their downward trend, as do the hospitalization counts; however, the seven-day positivity average is actually up compared to yesterday. Things are definitely better than two weeks ago, but the case and hospitalization averages are still way, way above their lows from last year.
It was, in fact, exactly one year ago today that Governor Baker announced the first version of the state's reopening plan. Things are nowhere near as bleak as they were then. But are they so much better that it's okay to throw out the social-distancing and mask-wearing mandates? Over the last seven days, the state reported an average of 621.3 new cases (both confirmed and probable) every day. The state's latest vaccination report claims over 3.2 million people have received full vaccination. The Census Bureau recently announced that the Massachusetts population last year was just over seven million. Some very rough math implies that there are around 4.8 million people in the state who aren't protected by vaccinations; if six hundred of them are getting infected every day, that's a daily incidence of over twelve new cases per 100k vulnerable population. That isn't my idea of a "new normal" - or, at least, not the sort of "new normal" I'd want.
The town of Acton's current Google Data Studio dashboard is showing 8 active and 977 cumulative cases as of May 16. The most recent "newsflash style update" at 12PM on May 17, 2021 reported 975 cumulative cases with 6 individuals in isolation, 937 persons recovered and 32 fatalities.
( Wall-o-text )
And the data ... is mixed. Newly reported deaths are down day-to-day, but newly reported cases are up. Estimated active cases continue their downward trend, as do the hospitalization counts; however, the seven-day positivity average is actually up compared to yesterday. Things are definitely better than two weeks ago, but the case and hospitalization averages are still way, way above their lows from last year.
It was, in fact, exactly one year ago today that Governor Baker announced the first version of the state's reopening plan. Things are nowhere near as bleak as they were then. But are they so much better that it's okay to throw out the social-distancing and mask-wearing mandates? Over the last seven days, the state reported an average of 621.3 new cases (both confirmed and probable) every day. The state's latest vaccination report claims over 3.2 million people have received full vaccination. The Census Bureau recently announced that the Massachusetts population last year was just over seven million. Some very rough math implies that there are around 4.8 million people in the state who aren't protected by vaccinations; if six hundred of them are getting infected every day, that's a daily incidence of over twelve new cases per 100k vulnerable population. That isn't my idea of a "new normal" - or, at least, not the sort of "new normal" I'd want.
The town of Acton's current Google Data Studio dashboard is showing 8 active and 977 cumulative cases as of May 16. The most recent "newsflash style update" at 12PM on May 17, 2021 reported 975 cumulative cases with 6 individuals in isolation, 937 persons recovered and 32 fatalities.