Every week 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 is dealing with a serious wave of COVID-19 cases. Wednesday & Thursday saw new daily cases in Lynn of 169 & 191, a stark difference to the 67 reported on Tuesday. The last time the City of Lynn saw above 70 cases was November 18th, when there were 117. It has not been uncommon to see anywhere from 30-80 new cases a day in Lynn, but it rarely has gone above that in recent months.

The average daily incidence rate per 100,000 for Lynn over 14 days this week was 67.6;  the previous 4 weeks were 61.6, 45.1, 34.4, & 25.7. The positivity rate this week was 10.23%; the previous 4 weeks were 9.14%, 7.48%, 6.53%, & 5.70%. Over the last 2 week there were 11,462 tests, & while this does indeed mean that case numbers will go up the number to watch is positivity rate. The higher the positivity rate the more the virus is spreading, regardless of number of tests.

The outlook for the nation is not much better. The United States currently has 14.2 million cases, gaining 5 million cases in just 5 weeks. Daily records have been broken for new cases & deaths within 24 hours constantly over the past month. Just yesterday approx. 213K new cases were reported, another record. At least 2,500 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported for the third day straight, marking the deadliest stretch since the start of the pandemic. The death toll in the US now sits at approx. 276K, about 1 person every 30 seconds. A new report from the CDC predicts 9,500-19,500 new deaths likely the week of Christmas.

There are currently 138 communities in the yellow category, & 97 communities in the red category in Massachusetts. Two week ago there were 140 communities in the yellow category & 62 in the red, last week due to the holiday we did not provide a summary. The three weeks prior to that there were 109, 91, & 77 communties in the yellow category while there were 30, 16, & 121 in the red. The reason for the drastic difference in the numbers of communities in these categories about a month ago was due to a new classification system now being used by Mass DPH.

Communities with populations less than 10,000 residents, between 10,000 & 50,000 residents, & more than 50,000 residents have had new metrics applied to them. Their results fall into 4 color categories; grey, green, yellow, & red. Positivity rates & average daily cases will continue to be determined by two-week rolling average. Officials say the new categories help to make the community-specific data more nuanced, and better account for increases in cases in smaller communities. They will also incorporate examples where cases at colleges, nursing homes, or jails may push an entire community into the red category. The new metrics are as follows:

Below are the statistics for Lynn & the state.

We are expecting a winter storm to impact southern New England tomorrow. The storm will start as rain before transitioning to a heavy, wet snow in the afternoon and continue into the night, with the possibility for significant snowfall. Snow could reach 2 inches an hour at points & wind gusts near 50 MPH on the coast that could potentially leading to downed trees, power outages, and dangerous driving conditions in Central & Northeastern Massachusetts.

This has the potential to be an impactful storm, but as of 1pm Lynn is not under any storm or wind watches or warnings. The National Weather Service says this system is “highly complex” and that their forecast could very easily change. At the moment Lynn is close enough to their predicted lines for anywhere from 1-6 inches, but that will change with any small shift in the system’s trajectory.

The track of the storm changed over the last 24 hours, leading to the current forecast which was not as severe as yesterday’s. Please follow the NWS-Boston on Facebook for the latest updates.

Virtual Open Enrollment Event for MA Health Connector happening tomorrow

Join Vineyard Health Care Access & Health Connector for our first Live Virtual Open Enrollment Event! Get all the information you need to complete your application from the comfort of your home. Navigators will be ready to help you get the best insurance plan for you. RSVP by clicking here.

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The Food Project’s Lynn Outdoor Winter Market will be cancelled tomorrow, Dec. 5th, due to a winter storm. To learn more about how to stock up on locally grown vegetables this season, click here.