The City of Malden is actively monitoring the evolving health issues caused by COVID-19 and is working closely with public health officials. The surge in cases statewide has also been seen in Malden and surrounding communities. The City’s latest number of confirmed cases is 2062 with unfortunately 91 reported deaths to date.
The Department of Public Health (DPH) issues a weekly report on positive cases and in accordance with a color-coded metric, designates cities as either a “red,” higher risk; “yellow,” moderate risk; or “green,” lower risk community. A designation takes into account the size of the community, positive COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents and the per cent of tests conducted in the community that result positive. Although Malden remains among the communities in the “yellow,” moderate risk category, the average daily rate of cases has increased to 22.7.
Despite this uptick, because Malden is not considered a “red,” high risk community, it does not qualify to be a testing site as part of the State’s “Stop the Spread” campaign. This is actually a targeted testing program that is based entirely on data and not something that a municipality can simply request. The communities that have these testing sites have been those identified as being consistently at high risk, such as Everett, Chelsea, and Revere. The City is looking into what other avenues and resources exist as far as a Malden test site.
The increased numbers are an important reminder that we have significant levels of community transmission taking place. With the holiday season upon us, please remember to limit social gatherings, wear a mask, social distance, and wash your hands or sanitize whenever possible.