April 16, 2020 by Carol Britton Meyer
Yesterday the Massachusetts Department of Public Health released numbers reporting 49 confirmed COVID-19 cases for Hingham, but the actual number could be higher, according to Assistant Town Administrator Michelle Monsegur.
"We believe that the true number of COVID-19 cases in Hingham is higher than what DPH is able to report. DPH’s numbers only reflect laboratory-confirmed cases (people who tested positive), but they don’t include clinical diagnoses by medical professionals (your primary care doctor evaluates your symptoms and determines you have the virus without a test), people who self-diagnose and stay at home, or asymptomatic people who don’t know they have the virus and haven’t been tested," she said.
The DPH reports COVID-19 cases by city and town on a weekly basis.
This follows Town Administrator Tom Mayo's statement during the Selectmen's meeting Tuesday that the Town of Hingham is preparing for "a tough two weeks ahead" due to estimates predicting a caseload peak/surge [of COVID-19-related cases] around April 20 in Massachusetts.
"When you look at the numbers DPH published as of yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon, they are reporting that 132,023 people in Massachusetts have been tested to date, which is just under 2 percent of the state’s total population," Monsegur said. "That tells us that there are a lot more COVID-19 cases that are not captured by these numbers. For that reason, we [continue to emphasize] the importance of staying home as much as possible and practicing social distancing.
We want to thank everyone in Hingham for the steps they’ve taken so far and ask them to remain diligent and vigilant in these practices."
For COVID-19 updates visit hingham-ma.gov. Go to the following link on the Town of Hingham website's Health Department link for a one-page COVID-19 guidance and information sheet: https://www.hingham-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/9556/Covid-19-Guidance