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COVID cases still on rise in region
By Gayla Cawley | April 30, 2020
Lynn now has more than 2,000 coronavirus cases, another death has been reported in Swampscott and nine more Peabody residents have died since Monday, according to city and state data.
Data released by the state Department of Public Health on Wednesday shows that COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise in other nearby communities as well.
As of Wednesday, Peabody’s virus death toll stands at 69, with nine new deaths reported over a two-day span, according to the city’s Health Director Sharon Cameron.
Comparatively, the cities of Lynn and Revere have seen 46 and 35 deaths respectively, according to the most recent updates from either municipality.
Although Peabody’s deaths dwarf both Lynn and Revere, the latter two communities have seen a much higher number of coronavirus cases.
As of Wednesday, Peabody’s caseload is 661, Revere has 1,126 positive cases, and DPH is reporting Lynn has 2,056.
DPH data puts Lynn ahead of Chelsea, a coronavirus hot spot, as the fourth highest community in the state in terms of total COVID-19 cases. However, Lynn reported on Wednesday that its caseload is much lower, at 1,733 cases.
Although DPH data shows Lynn has a higher number of cases than Chelsea, which has 1,965, Chelsea’s infection rate is more than 2.5 times that of Lynn.
Chelsea’s infection rate has surged to 5,217 per 100,000 people, while Lynn’s is also high, but much lower at 2,037 per 100,000 people, according to the DPH.
Although Lynn’s cases increased on Wednesday, there were no additional deaths reported.
It was a different story in Swampscott, which is reporting another death in what’s been a grim week for the community.
After making it through the entire outbreak without a virus fatality, Swampscott saw its first five deaths from COVID-19 in the span of a week, according to a notice that was posted on the town website on Monday.
Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald told The Item Wednesday another resident has died, bringing the town’s death toll to six.
“Unfortunately, that’s the nature of this virus,” said Fitzgerald. “When it hits, it really can be quite dramatic. It’s tragic and heartbreaking for families. We are going to try to do everything we can to minimize that because it is something that can be transmitted so easily. We want people to be vigilant about (protecting) themselves and others.”
The town’s total COVID-19 cases is now 97.
Elsewhere, Lynnfield has 73 cases and 10 deaths, Nahant has 30 cases and five deaths, Marblehead has 118 cases and one death, and Saugus has 298 cases and 11 deaths, according to DPH and town data.