With the neighborhood and city’s weekly COVID positive test rate still climbing, the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) is recommending residents take precautions to stop the spread.
The BPHC also renewed its recommendation that masks be worn in indoor public settings, including public transportation and transportation hubs, government buildings, and crowded indoor venues. The recommendation is especially important for those who are at high risk for severe illness or who live with someone who is high risk.
“With COVID-19 cases rising, we are urging all Bostonians to take extra precautions to protect yourselves, your family, and our community. If you are feeling unwell, get tested at one of our free City sites or take a rapid test. It’s also important to stay up to date on your vaccinations,” said Executive Director of the BPHC Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, “We are recommending that individuals protect themselves and others by masking indoors, particularly in crowded places. These precautions are how we protect the progress we’ve made in our community.”
In Jamaica Plain things have leveled out a bit but the weekly positive test rate still remains over 8 percent.
Last week, 1,505 Jamaica Plain residents were tested for the virus last week and 8.3 percent were positive–this was 1 percent decrease but almost level from the 8.4 percent that tested positive as reported by the BPHC on May 2.
One hundred twenty five additional residents contracted the virus between May 2 and May 9 and there are now 8,362 confirmed cases in the neighborhood since the start of the pandemic.
Boston’s citywide weekly positive test rate also increased last week and is now close to 9 percent.
According to the BPHC 17,476 residents were tested citywide last week and 8.8 percent were COVID positive–this was a 13 percent increase from the 7.8 percent that reportedly tested positive for the week ending on May 2.
Health experts are saying the new subvariant of the omicron strain, known as BA.2, is now the dominant strain in the US and 30 percent more infectious than the BA.1 omicron strain responsible for the last surge.
With higher transmission levels, wearing a mask can prevent individuals from getting sick, testing can help stop the spread of COVID-19, and vaccination with boosting reduces the risk of severe illness and hospitalization.
Citywide positive cases of coronavirus increased 1.7 percent last week and went from 178,291 to 181,346 confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic.