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Peabody reaches grim COVID milestone
By Gayla Cawley | May 14, 2020
Peabody has reached a grim milestone.
As of Wednesday, more than 100 residents have died from the coronavirus, according to Peabody Health Director Sharon Cameron.
The city’s death toll is now 104.
Peabody Mayor Edward A. Bettencourt attributes the city’s high death count, which surpasses other communities in the area, to a large concentration of deaths in nursing homes.
Last week, Bettencourt said that more than 80 percent of the city’s COVID-19 deaths have been residents in long-term care facilities.
Data released by the city on Monday shows 79 percent of its virus deaths have been residents ages 80-plus. At least another 12 deaths have been residents between the ages of 70-79 and no one under the age of 40 has died.
Although Peabody’s death count continues to rise, the city has only reported 17 additional COVID-19 cases since Monday. The city’s caseload is now 859.
Saugus and Revere reported additional deaths on Wednesday, but Lynn’s death toll remained the same from figures Mayor Thomas M. McGee shared during a conference call with the city’s business community Tuesday night.
As of Wednesday, Saugus has 432 cases and 23 deaths, Revere has 1,425 cases and 58 deaths, and Lynn has 2,857 cases and 78 deaths.
Although Lynn has seen a decreasing number of new cases in past weeks — just 17 new cases were reported on Wednesday — the city has the fourth highest number of cases in the state and the third highest infection rate at 2,808 per 100,000 residents, according to city data and the state Department of Public Health (DPH).
Only Boston, Brockton and Worcester have more cases. Brockton and Chelsea have higher infection rates, according to the DPH.
“Lynn is by no means out of the woods,” McGee said on Tuesday night’s conference call.
As of Wednesday, Lynnfield has 80 cases and 11 deaths, Marblehead has 163 cases and 16 deaths, Nahant 34 cases and six deaths, and in Swampscott, 115 residents have been infected and seven have died.