Despite a rise in new COVID-19 cases in Newton, new hospitalizations and deaths in the city remain lower than during previous surges of the virus.
No one in Newton died from COVID-19 between April 21 and 27, according to Mayor Ruthanne Fuller’s newsletter on April 28. In the 14-day period prior to April 21, two Newton residents died with the virus, according to Fuller’s April 14 and April 21 newsletters.
As of April 28, Newton-Wellesley Hospital was caring for six patients with COVID-19, none of whom were in the intensive care unit, according to the newsletter. The hospital reported a high of 12 cases in the week from April 21 to 27, Fuller wrote.
“This number, however, still remains much lower than what was seen at the peak of the last surge in January when 58 patients were hospitalized,” she wrote.
In the seven-day period from April 21 to 27, Newton recorded 253 confirmed new cases of COVID-19, compared to 177 cases the week before, according to the newsletter.
At Newton Public Schools, cases have also increased recently. From April 14 to 27, the school district reported 179 student cases of COVID-19 and 52 staff cases, according to the city’s COVID-19 dashboard. In the two weeks prior, the district reported 93 student cases and 17 staff cases.
In Massachusetts wastewater, though, samples indicate that the most recent surge may have peaked.
Test results taken from RNA samples from wastewater at the Deer Island Wastewater Treatment Plant—the state’s largest—serve as an indicator of COVID-19 infections. More RNA test samples had the virus present on April 19 than on April 26, according to data from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.
“This data has been a reliable predictor of virus levels throughout the pandemic,” Fuller wrote.
Featured Image by Nicole Vagra / Heights Editor
