The increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases in Everett continues to increase week over week with the City averaging around 12 or so cases per day over the last two weeks, and Public Health Nurse Sabrina Firicano said the message is the same – avoid large gatherings, wear a mask and wash hands frequently.
Over the last seven days (ending Tuesday), the City has seen 82 new cases, with numbers in the teens most days. However, only six cases were reported on Tuesday, a marked decrease from prior days.
Still, the time now is to be vigilant.
“We have been seeing an increase in cases in the last week or so – like 12, 14 and 15 a day,” she said. “We were seeing last month seven or eight or less a day. We have seen a little bit of an uptick in cases.”
Putting that in context though, it is far from the daily rate under the surge of cases in April when Everett logged 50 or 60 a day. At that time, the cases were running through the community without any rhyme or reason to how it was contracted, but now the recent uptick in numbers appears to be tied to personal responsibility and attending large gatherings for the most part.
“We’re really trying to identify any public areas or events people attended and came back and potentially infected other members of the household because we are seeing multiple people in one household test positive,” she added.
She said such things have kept Everett in the ‘red,’ or high-risk zone as defined by the state and Gov. Charlie Baker’s re-opening plan. Being vigilant, she said, is going to be the only way to be able to continue to the next phases of opening and get things back like high school sports, indoor concerts and other amenities enjoyed by communities that have stopped the spread successfully.
“It is something to continue to monitor because it is an uptick of what we were used to,” she said. “Obviously, we’re still in the red by the state standards because we have more than eight cases a day.”
Though it has been said over and over again, Firicano said the best thing to do is to wear a mask, social distance and stay away from large gatherings.
“It gets repetitive to hear it and many are just over it, but it really is important, especially if you go to a gathering of some type,” she said. “Even if it’s in the state guidelines for inside or out, it’s still important to follow these suggestions. We still need to get back to the basic fundamentals. It’s been a long time and I understand everyone can get frustrated and it can get exhausting, but the virus is still out there.”
Everett is still a beneficiary of the state Stop the Spread testing program and there is ample free testing all over the city right now through Oct. 31. There is no appointment necessary, and test results are usually available within 24 to 48 hours. The sites and times are as follows:
•Mondays – Big Flo Park, Chelsea Street, 7 a.m. to noon.
Glendale Park, noon to 6 p.m.
•Tuesdays – Sacramone Park, noon to 6 p.m.
•Wednesdays – Little Flo Park, Nichols Street, 7 a.m. to noon.
Edith Street Park, noon to 6 p.m.
•Thursdays, RiverGreen Parking Lot Drive Thru Testing, noon to 6 p.m.
•Fridays, Swan Street Park, 7 a.m. to noon.
Everett City Hall, noon to 6 p.m.
•Saturdays, RiverGreen Parking Lot Drive Thru Testing, noon to 6 p.m.