PEABODY, MA — A surge in coronavirus cases in Peabody mirrored the statewide trend as the city pushed higher to 21.2 cases per 100,000 residents in the latest state report released on Thursday.
The rate per 100,000 people — which up until last week was the sole metric the state used to determine whether a city or town is at “high risk” for community spread of the virus – increased sharply from 15.8 the week prior.
Up until last week, a rate of 8.0 cases per 100,000 designated a city or town a high-risk community.
Peabody’s positive test rate also rose from 3.12 percent last week to 3.53 in the most recent report. The city reported 191 positive cases over the past two weeks.
Last week the state introduced new curfews and a state-at-home advisory in the same week it revised its metrics for when a community is considered “high risk” to avoid automatic triggers for remote learning many communities had when considered “high risk” for three consecutive weeks.
North Shore Medical Center President Dr. David Roberts said in a coronavirus virtual town hall meeting Thursday night that while hospitalizations remain low despite the recent spike in cases, the concern is that younger people contracting the disease now will pass it on to their more vulnerable older relatives over the Thanksgiving holiday period.
“Young people are the carriers of COVID in our community,” said Roberts, classifying “young people” as those under 40. “They are the ones who are going around without masks, and partying and drinking.
“You are the Typhoid Mary of our community, so you should be super careful.”
He said if that generational transmission occurs “these hospital rates will take off like a shot.”
Roberts said Peabody, Lynn and Salem are the three communities the hospital watches most closely when it comes to coronavirus cases because those three cities account for the bulk of the patients at the hospital.
The statewide positive test rate over the last two weeks increased in 223 —or 63.5 percent — of the 351 communities in the state. The rate fell in 66 — or 18.8 percent — communities and held steady in the remaining 62.
Statewide, there were 20.7 average daily cases per 100,000 residents, up from 15.3 last week.
