Covid Update: 8 active cases; 9 new cases in one week; NSBORO testing to resume

As of this morning, the Southborough Board of Health is again showing 8 residents in isolation for active cases of Covid-19. The total cases over the course of the pandemic is now 575. That’s 9 cases in six days and 23 in two weeks.

Last week’s report from Mass Dept of Public Health (issued September 9th)* indicated 14 cases in two weeks with the Average Daily Incidence Rate per 100,000 as 15.5 (higher than prior period) and the % of tests confirmed positive as 1.92% (<0.10% difference from prior report).

For details, see graphs below:

As of the latest report, 8,530 Southborough residents had received shots by September 7th.

My data indicates 89% of residents old enough to be eligible for shots are fully vaccinated, and another 8% are partially vaxxed.** (To find options for getting vaccinated, click here.)

More highlights by age group and gender are in the chart above right and graphs below. (They include vaccination progress zoomed in on summer months.):

(For more details on those groups, plus race/ethnicity, click here.)

On Friday, the Northborough Southborough Schools Superintendent Gregory Martineau informed parents about this year’s testing protocols:

With the completion of six days of school, I want to share important information about COVID-19 safety checks. For the 2021-2022 school year, The Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough, working in partnership with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), is offering a COVID-19 testing program as an extra layer of protection to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This program has three components:

1. Symptomatic testing for students who show symptoms of COVID-19 at school,
2. Routine COVID-19 safety checks to prevent the spread of the virus undetected among students who are not showing symptoms, and
3. Test and stay for students who may have been exposed while in school but are not showing symptoms. Each of these is a quick, non-invasive nasal swab OR saliva sample that is collected under the supervision of a school nurse or trained health provider. Unlike COVID-19 tests of the past, these are not uncomfortable and are easy for students to do themselves.

Students can only participate with permission from a parent or guardian. It is important to The Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough that you are fully informed regarding the process and that your questions are answered, in advance of asking you to sign the consent form. Please click here to learn more about the three parts of the testing program, how they are conducted, and what they are used for.

So far, NSBORO isn’t posting information tracking cases in the school system. However, they are emailing parents in individual schools. Messages to parents of Algonquin students last Thursday alerted: 

Recently, we were notified that two individuals tested positive for COVID-19.

Individual One: The individual was last in school on Friday, September 3, 2021. Contact tracing was completed and no in-school close contacts were identified.

Individual Two: The individual was last in school on Thursday, September 9, 2021. The COVID-19 Response Team has conducted contact tracing. All identified in-school close contacts have been notified.

The leadership team will closely monitor the adherence of safety protocols to mitigate the potential for in-school transmission of COVID-19. These include wearing masks, hand washing/sanitizing, maintaining proper ventilation and monitoring air quality, cleaning and disinfecting, self-screening, and staying home when experiencing symptoms that may be consistent with COVID-19.

We are committed to continuous communication and support of our families. If there is transmission as a result of this case or a separate case, we will send out another message immediately.

*The state’s report was based on tests taken in the 14 day period ending on the prior Saturday.

**Population figures are just estimates. I use demographics extrapolated from 2019 census data since the state’s population data was clearly outdated.