COVID concerns remain with arrival of holidays, winter

Cases of COVID-19 are still inching upward in Canton and the full effects of the Delta variant have yet to be felt with the holidays and winter season around the corner.

In addition, Dr. Daniel Muse, Canton Public Schools’ head physician and an ER doctor at Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital, warned that European cities are showing a marked increase in COVID cases and are closing some recreational and indoor activities in an effort to curb the trend. Muse said what has happened in Europe over the past one to two years has at times been a harbinger of what is to come in the United States.

Muse is one of the principals in the town’s COVID-19 Task Force, which held a public webinar on Monday evening, November 15. Also speaking during the webinar were Select Board member Lisa Lopez, Director of Public Health Barbara Reardon, Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director Charles Doody, Interim School Superintendent Derek Folan, and James Goodrich, public health nurse and sanitarian.

While Muse expressed concern about the immediate future with the recent European surge, health and safety officials were elated with Canton’s initial response to the Pfizer vaccine clinics for kids ages 5-11 as well as the town’s overall vaccination rates.

Reardon also defended the Board of Health’s decision to impose a mask mandate for all indoor public spaces and restaurants. Despite other nearby communities not following suit, Reardon said the BOH decision was sound, and this sentiment was echoed throughout the night by Dr. Muse, who said that mask wearing and vaccinations are excellent tools to combat the elusive COVID-19 virus. Reardon added that the daily and weekly incidence rates could have been higher without the mandate. She said Canton health officials have visited local businesses suspected of not following the mandate and have thus far focused their efforts on educating business owners. However, she said health officials “are on the brink of fines” for businesses but not for individuals at this time.

Muse said hospitals are still seeing cases of extremely sick people, including higher numbers of those who are in their 20s and 30s.

For the week of November 5-11, Canton had 29 new cases, which puts the town in the “high” risk level according to the CDC. Both the incidence rate and the town’s positivity rate (3.24 percent) were also trending higher as of last week.

The incidence of COVID cases in the schools has also grown. According to the Canton School Department’s COVID-19 tracker …

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Posted by Mike Berger on Nov 19 2021. Filed under News, Town Government. Both comments and pings are currently closed.