For the second week in a row, the City of Newton has reported more cumulative COVID-19 cases over a seven-day period than what was reported the week before.
Newton reported 135 new cases of COVID-19 from March 24 to 30, compared to 104 in the week-long period before that—a 30 percent increase from week to week—according to Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller’s April 1 newsletter update.
Even with the increase, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still categorizes Middlesex county—where Newton is located—as low COVID-19 community level.
“Newton’s Health and Human Services staff is continuing to closely monitor data and fortunately, they report that we are not currently seeing an increase in hospitalizations or severe illness, especially among those who are fully vaccinated and boosted,” Fuller wrote in the update.
The positivity rate in the City has increased, too.
Fuller reported a two-week positivity rate of 2.5 percent in Newton in Friday’s update, compared to a rate of 1.9 percent reported in Fuller’s March 24 update.
The 14-day positivity rate in Newton is slightly higher than the 7-day positivity rate of 2.47 percent in Massachusetts, according to the state’s dashboard.
Newton Public Schools reported 56 students testing positive for COVID-19 from March 24 to 30, a 60 percent increase from the 35 cases reported the week before, according to Newton’s COVID-19 dashboard.
Nobody in Newton died of COVID-19 this week, according to Fuller’s update. Additionally, no one has died of COVID-19 in the city over the past three weeks, according to Fuller’s updates.
“The bottom line from Newton Health and Human Services Commissioner Linda Walsh is, ‘We’re in a time of cautious optimism,’” Fuller wrote. “She notes that we’ll be living with COVID-19 for months and months to come. We’ve shifted to all of us taking personal responsibility and staying home if we’re not feeling well.”
Featured Image by Nicole Vagra / Heights Staff
