November 6th COVID-19 Update
Each week, the Department of Public Health releases community-level numbers of COVID-19 testing and positive case totals. Our town-by-town numbers in this week’s public health report can be found below:
- Holliston: 156 (+16 from last week)
- Hopkinton: 178 (+7)
- Southborough: 90 (+7)
- Westborough: 450 (+14)
This week, the administration adjusted the “stoplight system” of community risk assessment to account for population size and positivity rate in addition to new case rates per 100,000 (see chart to right). Based on this new system of calculation, Holliston and Westborough are now in the moderate risk category, whereas Hopkinton and Southborough are now in the lower risk category. Risk determinations are still based on the most recent two weeks of data.
A community’s risk category informs which stage of reopening it is permitted to enter and its eligibility for additional enforcement and intervention support. One important update is that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released new guidance this week on interpreting community risk categories for the purposes of determining learning models. You can read the full guidance here, but the general recommendation is that schools in gray, green, and yellow communities are expected to maintain in-person learning models if feasible unless there is suspected in-school transmission, and red communities are expected to maintain a hybrid model that prioritizes in-person instruction for high-need students.
You can read this week’s public health report here, which also includes data broken down by demographic category, a summary of positive cases and testing at higher education institutions, and COVID-19 case and death data at long-term care facilities.
News Updates
Coronavirus Testing and Response
- Today, the state saw 2,038 new positive cases of COVID-19 in the Commonwealth, with 162,736 total cases and 21 reported deaths as of today at 4pm.
- The average new cases over the last 7 days is 1,358, and the average number of deaths is 19.
- The 7-day weighted average positive test rate in Massachusetts is 2.1%.
- 86,357 new molecular tests for COVID-19 were reported in the Commonwealth today.
- The Department of Public Health regularly releases a daily reporting dashboard containing detailed information on hospitalizations, demographic data, and county-by-county breakdowns of cases. To view the DPH dashboard, visit here.
Heath Care
- Hospitalization: 513 individuals are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 statewide, an increase of 9 from yesterday.
- Hospital Capacity: As of 11/6, 30% of the Commonwealth’s 11,000 non-ICU hospital beds are available for new patients if needed (50% of statewide ICU beds are available). In the MetroWest region, 33% of the region’s non-ICU 1,800 beds are available for new patients (50% of regional ICU beds are available).
- Long-term care: As of 11/6, there are 391 long-term care facilities with at least one case of COVID-19 and 25,899 staff and residents in facilities who have tested positive for COVID-19. 6,469 COVID-19 deaths have been reported in long-term care facilities.
- For information on COVID-19 testing and guidance on whether you should get tested, how to get tested, and where to get tested, visit the COVID-19 testing portal at mass.gov/gettested.
Education
- The weekly public health report now contains information on testing and positive cases in Massachusetts-based colleges and universities, which can be found here starting on page 44.
- 362 new COVID-19 cases associated with higher education testing have been reported since last week. 1,945 total cases have been reported associated with higher education testing.
- The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education now reports student and staff positive cases reported by school districts within the last week. These reports count all positive cases among students participating in-person or hybrid learning models, and staff who have been in a school building within 7 days of a positive test. This week’s report and reporting definitions can be found here.
- Holliston: 1 student; 0 staff
- Hopkinton: 0 students; 0 staff
- Southborough: 0 students; 0 staff
- Northboro-Southboro: 1 student; 2 staff
- Westborough: 1 student; 0 staff
Travel
- The state’s COVID-19 travel order, which requires testing or self-quarantine for all visitors and returning residents from all higher-risk U.S. states, is updated weekly based on new public health data from around the country. Information on the order can be found here and information on changes to the state risk designations can be found below.
- Lower-risk states: Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Washington, Washington D.C.
- Removed this week: California, Connecticut, New Jersey
- NOTE: Connecticut and New York have changed their state guidance for travelers entering their states from Massachusetts. For information on each state’s individual policies and requirements, see above.
Local and State Resources
Town Resources
All of the towns in the 8th Middlesex District have centralized COVID-19 resource pages with resources, updates, and alerts regarding town services.
Holliston | Hopkinton | Southborough | Westborough
Job/Income Loss Resources
COVID-19 is also causing broad disruption to the economy which is affecting incomes of many residents and families. There are a number of State resources and supports available to support workers who may find themselves unemployed or otherwise income-constrained during this uncertain time.
Guide for job/income loss resources: https://carolyndykema.com/covid19-state-resources
Department of Unemployment Assistance
Department of Transitional Assistance
Statewide Information
Information on the state of emergency and related orders can be found here.
Reopening guidance can be found at mass.gov/reopening.
Information on COVID-19 testing can be found at mass.gov/gettested.
