To our Readers:
In an effort to keep our community informed during the public-health crisis, we will post local virus-related information free of charge.
If you have any crisis-related stories, please submit them to ([email protected]).
For comprehensive daily news, home delivery and online only subscriptions are available via itemlive.com.
Peabody death toll climbs to 44, Lynn up to 1,315 COVID cases
By Gayla Cawley | April 24, 2020
The Peabody Health Department has confirmed that 449 Peabody residents have tested positive and there have been 44 coronavirus-related deaths, according to Mayor Ted Bettencourt, as COVID-19 cases continue to climb in the region.
“Many of those suffering the worst effects of the virus are among our community’s most vulnerable people,” said Bettencourt in a statement. “These individuals and their families need our community’s love and support more than ever. Please continue to practice the safety measures recommended and required by our public health experts. We will get through this together.”
In Lynn, another resident has died from the coronavirus and the city reported its second largest day-to-day spike in cases on Thursday, with 110 new people infected.
The additional fatality brings the city’s COVID-19 death toll to 30. The city’s total number of confirmed cases now stands at 1,315, according to the Lynn Public Health Department.
As of Wednesday, Revere reported 805 cases and 30 deaths.
Lynn’s 110 new confirmed cases is the second-largest day-to-day spike in cases Lynn has seen since the outbreak began last month. The highest increase in daily cases so far occurred last Saturday, when the city reported an additional 113 people were infected.
Thursday’s numbers show a stark contrast to data released just a day earlier. Although there was also an additional death reported on Wednesday, there were just 32 new confirmed cases.
The contrast reinforces the notion that day-to-day increases so far have been inconsistent. Precipitous drops in cases on certain days have been followed by large spikes on others.
More than 71 percent of the city’s COVID-19 cases have consisted of residents between the ages of 21-61. People 61 and older account for about 21 percent of the confirmed cases.
Comparatively, the city’s youngest residents, or those 21 and under, have been infected at the lowest rate, accounting for just 7 percent of the total cases.
Elsewhere, Lynnfield is reporting 60 cases and 10 deaths, Nahant is reporting 28 cases and three deaths, while Swampscott reported its first death on Thursday.
“It is heartbreaking to hear this devastating news,” said Marianne Hartmann, chairwoman of the Swampscott Board of Health, in a statement. “As a community we have all seen news reports of outbreak-related deaths in other neighboring communities and places around the Commonwealth. This Swampscott passing reminds us how essential it is to continue our efforts and work to protect each other during this outbreak.”
Seventeen of Nahant’s cases, or more than 60 percent, have come from residents of the Jesmond Nursing Home, according to Town Administrator Tony Barletta.
“The staff at the Jesmond Nursing Home, as well as Nahant’s first responders are putting their lives on the line each and every day to protect the health and well-being of others, so we thank them for their dedicated service,” said Barletta in a statement.
In Saugus, there have been 211 cases and six deaths as of Thursday, according to the town website. The Saugus Board of Health said the two people who died most recently had underlying heart conditions.
“The Saugus Health Department strongly believes that additional unrecognized cases do exist in Saugus,” reads a town update. “Due to the fact that they are undetected, some of these infected individuals may not be properly isolated or quarantined, which is why the (town) continues to strongly request that everyone stay at home unless it is essential.”
The state Department of Health is reporting there have been 65 cases in Marblehead and 77 in Swampscott as of Wednesday. The town of Marblehead is reporting zero deaths.
Item staffers Elyse Carmosino, David McLellan and Anne Marie Tobin contributed to this report.