May 10, 2022 By Carol Britton Meyer
The presence of COVID-19 in the Hingham community "continues to evolve," Town Administrator Tom Mayo reported to the Select Board Tuesday night.
"There is a significant uptick in the number of cases in town," he said. "This is concerning. We are monitoring the situation, as this trend could result in a new mask recommendation.
We will certainly report out as we know more."
Through the week ending May 7, the town experienced 103 confirmed and probable cases, up 72 percent over the 60 cases that occurred through the week ending April 30.
During the week of April 30, the number of cases increased by 22 percent over the 49 cases reported during the week ending April 23.
"These numbers capture only cases from PCR tests and undercount the presence of COVID-19 in our community," Mayo said. "These numbers do not include [positive] cases identified using rapid antigen tests."
Mayo explained that the Centers for Disease Control looks at the combination of three metrics to measure COVID 19 levels in Plymouth Country. This data is updated weekly on Thursdays based on new admissions and inpatient metrics and on the current level of new cases per 100,000 population in the past seven days.
Plymouth County is currently ranked in the COVID "medium" category, according to Mayo, who outlined CDC recommendations that included:
- Staying up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines.
- Getting tested if experiencing symptoms.
- Wearing a face mask for those with symptoms, who have had a positive test, or been exposed to someone with COVID-19
- Wearing a face mask on public transportation.
"Individuals [are encouraged] to wear a mask at any time as an additional precaution to protect [themselves] and others," Mayo said, suggesting that those who are at high risk for severe illness consider wearing a mask indoors in public settings and taking additional precautions.
"We will continue to monitor data and take coordinated action as needed," he explained. "If the CDC were to determine Hingham's COVID-19 level to be 'high,' the CDC would recommend the wearing of face masks indoors and on public transportation."