COVID-19 cases are rising in what experts say is a warning sign
Original article from The Boston Globe , 2021
Though vaccination has thus far staved off a rise in hospitalizations and deaths, epidemiologists warn that the current uptick in cases could still balloon into a surge.
Even as more and more people get vaccinations, Massachusetts is once again seeing its daily case counts of the coronavirus rise, with the average number of new infections at its highest since mid-February.
Massachusetts on Friday reported 2,301 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the seven-day average of daily cases to 1,796.7. The threat of a surge looms larger in some towns than in others: This week, the state listed 32 communities as high-risk for COVID-19, up from just 20 communities the week before.
“It is concerning,” said Dr. David Hamer, an infectious disease expert at Boston University and physician at Boston Medical Center. “If this worsens, then the governor may need to move us back to an earlier phase of opening.”
Public health experts pointed to a number of factors that could be driving infections: increased circulation of a more-contagious variant of the coronavirus; pandemic fatigue, and springtime optimism that have led the public to be less vigilant; and Governor Charlie Baker’s continued loosening of public health guidelines.