PEABODY — Heading into 2022, the city’s fight against COVID-19 has faced another battle in what will be a now three-year war.
On Dec. 20, the city Health Department’s two-week report showed 10,362 cases of COVID-19 in Peabody, a test-positivity increase of 7.3 percent, with 611 new cases, and an average daily infection rate of 78 residents per day.
The Tanner City ended 2021 in anticipation of the current surge by reintroducing an indoor-mask mandate, as omicron and the winter season contributed to an uptick in cases across the country and the commonwealth.
“Obviously it’s been a really challenging year,” said Health Director Sharon Cameron. “We’ve had a lot of illness and a lot of deaths in our community. I think people have gotten used to COVID, but there’s been a lot of heartache for a lot of families here, and I hope people don’t lose sight of the fact that we are all in this together as a community. (I) really would hope that people think about what it means to be a member of the community.
“We care about other people and we try to take steps to help each other,” she said. “There are a lot of people in our community who are vulnerable and would potentially face serious outcomes from the virus, and we hope that people are mindful of that even though their personal risk might be considered low, and to think about doing things that will help other members of our community. Those are things like getting vaccinated, adhering to masking requirements, and staying home when they are sick.”
Peabody currently has 70 percent of its population fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Cameron noted that the Health Department has seen some stagnation in vaccination rates in the younger demographics ranging from 12 to 29 years old.
“Those rates are not where we would like to see them,” said Cameron.
Cameron said the mask mandate is a temporary one that will be reviewed monthly by the Board of Health.
“I think there is a commitment to review the data and to lift the mandate at a time when it is appropriate to do so,” said Cameron. “We recognize that this does impose a hardship on local businesses, particularly businesses who are tasked with enforcing the mask mandate. It creates some very difficult interactions with their customers. It’s not a move that the Board of Health takes lightly.”
One of the major reasons for the mask mandate is the feedback that local boards of health have been receiving from hospitals about the strain that COVID-19 has been putting on hospital capacities, Cameron said.
Cameron is hopeful for 2022 and believes that as more people get vaccinated, life will return back to “normal.” Cameron also hopes that people get children vaccinated just like they do with the flu vaccine.
“This might be a virus that becomes endemic in our population, but it will stop resulting in the type of really serious illness that we are seeing now,” she said.
