LYNN NEWS ROUND-UP
APRIL 15, 2021
Weekly COVID-19 numbers from Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health
READ LAST WEEK’S SUMMARY BY CLICKING HERE
Every Thursday the MA Dept. of Public Health releases numbers for how COVID-19 has impacted the state, and we try to highlight some of these numbers so the community is informed about how COVID is impacting Lynn & the state. Their numbers factor in the past week as well as the week before, giving 2 weeks worth of data.
The City of Lynn officially entered the yellow COVID-19 risk category for the first time on March 12th, but returned to the red category on March 25th. Since returning to the red Lynn’s numbers have gone back up very quickly, which is bad news for Lynn as we have been hit hard throughout the pandemic. On February 8th Lynn passed 15,000 total cases and this week we passed 17,000. We currently stand at 17,066, an increase of 202 from last week.
After over a month of troubling increases, the City of Lynn is starting to see decreases in the amount of people catching COVID-19. The average daily incidence rate per 100,000 for Lynn this week was 35.1 while it was at 36.8, 34.9, 29.5, & 22.3 the last 4 weeks. The positivity rate this week was 5.53% while it was 5.77%, 5.36%, 4.69%, & 3.81% the last 4 weeks. Lynn currently has 405 active cases, up slightly from 402 last week & 375 the week before. New 24-hour cases rose to 75 on April 6th, the largest single-day increase since 81 on Feb. 6th. Deaths have thankfully slowed in Lynn, with only 17 people that have died due to COVID-19 since March 1st. You can view these trends for Lynn yourself on the City of Lynn’s COVID-19 dashboard by clicking here. You can click the icon in the top-right corner of each section to see it enlarged.
There has been concern a lack of vaccine availability, the coming warmer weather, the return of youth sports, re-opening schools to in-person learning, & loosening restrictions could cause a spike in cases. After weeks of declining numbers the increase in Lynn & return to the red category proves these words of caution have some basis in fact. With those factors in mind it is still recommended to take COVID-19 seriously until you’ve been fully vaccinated, & even after to still mask up and distance for at least a little while to help mitigate the spread to ensure those that aren’t able to get the vaccine yet remain healthy. Please read about the Lynn Tech vaccination site by clicking here.
The state of Massachusetts as a whole has seen some negative trends finally stop this week. The average daily incidence rate per 100,000 for MA this week was 27.4 while for the past 4 weeks it was 28.1, 25.6, 21.5, & 19.5. The positivity rate this week was 2.48% but the 4 weeks prior it had been 2.54%, 2.36%, 2.01%, & 1.83%. Back in early February the number of communities in the red category had rapidly declined, reaching a low of 14, but we are now at 59. The number of communities in the yellow has fluctuated due to communities changing categories from red to yellow and yellow to green, but has remained below 200 for months.
The United States currently has 31.5 million cases, & has consistently only been adding about 400K per week the last couple of months. There are currently 139 million cases reported worldwide, up from 134 million last week. Internationally cases have remained fairly constant, with at least 3million a week for months. Increases in new cases in the U.S. have dropped significantly, but are still fluctuating. At it’s height back in early January 300K+ new cases were reported with a 7-day average of 259,616. Yesterday 74,367 new cases were reported, with a 7-day average of 70,522–both slight increases from last week.
The death toll in the US now sits at approx. 565K, while it was at 560K, 533K, 546K, & 539K the previous 4 weeks. This accounts for approx. 22% of the worldwide death toll of 2.99million, and is second only to Brazil. Brazil has been struggling as of late, with deaths going from 345K to 365K in just one week. The good news in the U.S. is that deaths have been trending downwards fast since early February. Yesterday only 912 were declared dead due to COVID-19, & the 7-day average for deaths sits at 750.
In Massachusetts there are currently 59 communities in the red category & 170 in the yellow category. The last 4 weeks there were 77, 55, 32, & 20 communities in the red. The last 4 weeks there were 154, 172, 179, & 175 communities in the yellow.
The MA Department of Public Health continues to conduct surveillance for COVID-19 variants of concern including B.1.1.7 (first identified in the UK), B.1.351 (first identified in South Africa) and P.1 (first identified in Brazil).
Surveillance, consisting of genetic sequencing on portions of COVID-19 positive specimens, has been ongoing in a collaboration between the Massachusetts State Public health Laboratory with clinical diagnostic laboratories and academic partners, including the CDC. Surveillance data so far has identified B.1.1.7 and the B.1.351 cases without any recent travel; it is critical to do everything possible to keep variants of concern from becoming widespread.
The public health risk reduction measures remain the same. Individuals must continue to wear masks or face coverings while out in public, maintain 6-foot social distancing, stay home when you are sick, and get tested if you have symptoms or are identified as a close contact
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Below are the statistics for Lynn & the state.
| City/Town | Total Case Count | Case Count (Last 14 Days) | Average Daily Incidence Rate per 100,000 (Last 14 days) | Relative Change in Case Counts | Total Tests | Total Tests (Last 14 days) | Total Positive Tests (Last 14 days) | Percent Positivity (Last 14 days) | Change in Percent Positivity |
| Lynn | 16,636 | 496 | 35.1 | Lower | 218,159 | 10,589 | 586 | 5.53% | Lower |
| STATEWIDE | 624,666 | 26,717 | 27.4 | Lower | 20,045,384 | 1,219,299 | 30,290 | 2.48% | Lower |
If you would like to find out full statistics for the entire state, including maps & town-by-town data, you can find the raw data of these weekly reports (as an Excel file) from MA Dept. of Public Health by clicking here.
All information above was obtained via official state & federal sources.
Find a mass vaccine location near you by clicking here. For phasing details and the most up-to-date vaccination timeline please click here.
For a list of workers currently eligible please click here.
A vaccination site has opened at Lynn Tech for Lynners.
Find out more & watch a video tour by clicking here.
Schedule an appointment by clicking here.
AS A REMINDER: Trash & green recycling will be delayed by 1 day the week of April 19th in observance of Patriots’ Day.
Cantemus presents “Bach Again: New Body, Old Soul” over local TV stations (incuding LCTV) Sunday, April 25th at 4PM
Cantemus Chamber Chorus is pleased to present “Bach Again: New Body, Old Soul,” over local access TV stations on Sunday, April 25, 2021 at 4 p.m. In this one-hour program, Jane Ring Frank, artistic director of Cantemus, in conversation with Newburyport Community Media Hub’s Mary Jacobsen, will serve as your tour guide through the world of J. S. Bach’s chorales and their influence on his musical heirs.
In addition to highlighting select Bach chorales, Ms. Frank will provide context surrounding their creation, and follow these musical themes as they recur across the centuries, including in well- known songs of today.
“Bach Again: New Body, Old Soul” is made possible by grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Local Cultural Councils listen below, and TV stations in those communities broadcasting the April 25th program.
“The date of this virtual program is significant,” said Frank. “In a normal springtime, we would have presented a traditional in-person concert of these works. Despite the pandemic-imposed limits on live performance, we are eager to continue connecting with lovers of choral music across the North Shore. We thank these local access TV stations and hope this experiment to leverage community TV to reach long-standing and new audience members will provide an ongoing appetite for future live concerts.”
Tune in to the Cantemus program on your local access TV station listed below on Sunday, April 25, at 4 p.m. The program will also be posted on the community TV station websites and the Cantemus website: www.cantemus.org. For more information about Cantemus, visit our website or email info@cantemus.org.
PATRICIPATING COMMUNITIES:
Beverly | Boxford | Essex | Georgetown | Groveland
Hamilton/Wenham | Ipswich | Lynn | Manchester | Merimac
Middleton | Newbury | Newburyport | Peabody
Rockport | Salisbury | Topsfield | West Newbury
Cantemus is a small chorus of skilled singers on the North Shore dedicated to diverse, innovative programming and skillful, expressive performances. We bring music to life to enrich our singers, audiences, & community.
The above press release was submitted to us by the Cantemus Choir.
Mayor Thomas McGee Announces 3 Lynn Chief of Police Finalists & Community Stakeholder Group Members
Mayor Thomas McGee is pleased to announce the three finalists for the Lynn Police Chief who are: Captain Mark O’Toole, Captain Christopher Reddy, and Deputy Chief Michael Vail. These three individuals successfully completed the required Civil Service Assessment Center, which was conducted in March.
The Police Chief candidates will meet with a stakeholder group convened by Mayor McGee, and be asked to consider the topics submitted here by the members of the general public. Mayor McGee will then meet individually with the candidates before making his decision on the Police Chief appointment.
Members of the general public can submit topics of discussion they think are important to consider in the hiring of the next Chief of the Lynn Police Department at http://www.lynnma.gov/community. This link will be live until Tuesday, April 27th.
“I look forward to embarking on this process in hiring the new Chief of Police for the City of Lynn,” said Mayor Thomas M. McGee. “Each of the three finalists are highly qualified, and dedicated members of our Lynn Police Department. I hope the public will take advantage of this opportunity to share their thoughts on the important topics the new Lynn Police Chief should take into consideration before they step into this role. Thank you to each of the members of the Stakeholder Group for agreeing to participate in this process as your input will be vital to making the best decision for the City of Lynn.”
The Stakeholder Group will be facilitated by Lynn School Superintendent, Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. Members of the group include:
- Andrea Baez, Branch Executive Director of the Demakes Family YMCA/Member of the Greater Lynn Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
- Lt. Timothy Donovan, President of the Lynn Police Association
- Brian Field, City Councilor At-Large/Public Safety Committee
- Chief Kenneth Green, MBTA Transit Police Department
- Audrey Jimenez, Chair of the Lynn Human Rights Commission;
- George Markopoulos, City of Lynn Solicitor;
- Frances Martinez, Executive Director of the North Shore Latino Business Association
- A member of the Lynn Racial Justice Coalition
- A licensed professional from the Lynn Community Health Center.
In addition, Mayor McGee is in the final stages of the hiring process for the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer position and expects for that person to participate as a member of the stakeholder group.
The above press release was submitted to us by Mayor McGee’s office.
City of Lynn, Lynn Community Health Center and Mass General Brigham Announce Joint Mobile COVID-19 Vaccination Operation
The City of Lynn Department of Public Health, Lynn Community Health Center (LCHC) and Mass General Brigham (MGB) are pleased to announce a joint, mobile COVID-19 vaccination operation. The goal of this mobile vaccination program is to meet people where they are in order to reduce barriers to vaccination in our hard to reach communities.
Eligible community partners for mobile vaccination clinics include Lynn businesses, community organizations, or places of worship. Registration for a mobile clinic is available through the link below, and once it is submitted, staff from Lynn Community Health Center or the Lynn Department of Public Health will contact applicants as soon as possible to schedule, based on staff and vaccine supply availability.
The Lynn mobile vaccine operation has been successfully piloted over the last two weeks with clinics at a handful of businesses and places of worship for eligible populations based on the state’s guidelines. These efforts will officially launch and ramp up this Monday, April 19th as Massachusetts vaccine eligibility expands to all people age 16+.
The latest state data shows that as of April 13th 24,618 Lynn residents are fully vaccinated and 13,349 are partially vaccinated. Overall, 38% of the Lynn population has received their first dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
“I want to thank everyone who has worked so diligently in the Lynn Department of Public Health, Lynn Community Health Center and Mass General Brigham to facilitate the vaccine rollout here in Lynn,” said Mayor Thomas M. McGee. “Our goal has always been to make vaccine as accessible as possible with a multi-pronged team approach by opening up the Lynn Tech Vaccination site, which is up to 6,000 vaccinations a week, and conducting designated vaccine clinics at our senior and affordable housing buildings and for our first responders, educators, and essential workers. We also vaccinated a number of our homebound residents before the state launched their homebound program. This mobile vaccination operation is building upon those tremendous efforts. I encourage everyone to get vaccinated through one of these opportunities, so we can finally get past this pandemic.”
“I am very proud of the incredible work done by our Department of Public Health staff to vaccinate so many members of our community to date,” said Lynn Public Health Director Michele Desmarais. “Offering mobile vaccine clinics creates a more comfortable and accessible environment for people to get vaccinated. Thank you to our partners at the Lynn Community Health Center and Mass General Brigham for their work throughout this pandemic to navigate these challenging times.”
“We understand that there are many barriers that people may face in getting vaccinated at the Lynn Tech Vaccination site, from scheduling an appointment to transportation issues,” said David Schaffner, Nurse Practitioner and LCHC’s clinical lead for mobile vaccinations. “LCHC, the City, and MGB want to remove as many of those barriers as possible for the residents of Lynn, to ensure that anyone who wants to be vaccinated has that opportunity.”
“Our goal is to bring vaccines and information into the community, the places where residents work, live, and gather,” said LCHC Practice Manager Rosie Conway. “The Health Center is excited to be a partner in this effort – a critical step in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“We are proud to work with the Heath Center and the City of Lynn on a comprehensive mobile vaccination strategy and have deployed a robust team of employees to help assist with community vaccination efforts,” says Christine Valdes, M.D., a family medicine physician at North Shore Physicians Group and Medical Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Salem Hospital, a member of Mass General Brigham. “Our Community Care Team includes staff from across our system with a range of skill sets and language capabilities who are dedicated to vaccinating the most vulnerable residents of Lynn.”
Click here to register for Lynn mobile vaccine clinic
Please note, if you are seeking an appointment for yourself or someone who is homebound, please click here.
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Beginning Monday, April 19th, all individuals age 16+ are eligible for the COVID-19 Vaccine. Pfizer vaccine is authorized for people age 16+ and the Moderna vaccine is authorized for people age 18+. Appointments are now available at the Lynn Tech Vaccination Site at https://www.lchcnet.org/covid-19-vaccine-scheduling.
For more details on how to book an appointment at other locations, you can visit www.mass.gov/COVIDvaccine or visit https://vaxfinder.mass.gov/ to find the vaccine site nearest you.
The above info. was submitted to us by Mayor McGee’s office.
From Mayor McGee’s office: The Lynn Public Health Department has confirmed that as of today, the number of active, confirmed positive COVID-19 cases is 405 with 41 new cases today. 16,449 Lynn residents have recovered and 212 have died. The total number of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in Lynn since March 21, 2020, including those who have died and recovered, is 17,066. Please visit the City of Lynn COVID-19 Data Dashboard which is updated daily.
Vaccine Appointments NOW Available for Monday, April 19th for All Individuals Age 16+ at Lynn Tech Vaccine Site
Pfizer vaccine is authorized for people age 16+ and the Moderna vaccine is authorized for people age 18+. Appointments are now available at the Lynn Tech Vaccination Site athttps://www.lchcnet.org/covid-19-vaccine-scheduling.
If you have a news story that you would like to share, please contact us via email or call 781-780-9460.
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