High COVID-19 Community Level in Norfolk County Triggers Indoor Masking Recommendation

In a May 11, 2022 letter posted to Twitter by the Town of Westwood, Westwood Health Director Jared Orsini has noted that the Community Level for Norfolk County is High, a designation which triggers a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation for the community to wear masks indoors, when in public.

The CDC measures COVID-19 Community Level by looking new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population in the past seven days and the percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients. These numbers give an idea of the potential for strain on the health care system.

Image is a screenshot taken of the Board of Health letter as posted to the Town of Westwood's Twitter account (@TownofWestwood).

Mr. Orsini writes that from April 24, 2022 to May 10, 2022, Westwood recorded 74 new cases of COVID-19. This number excludes positive at-home rapid COVID-19 antigen tests reported to the Board of Health.

In contrast, the lowest case count after the Omicron surge was 15 new COVID-19 cases in a two-week period. Mr. Orsini concludes that COVID-19 cases are rising. He reiterates the CDC's recommendations for a High Community Level designation:

• Wear a mask indoors in public.
• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines.
• Get tested if you have symptoms.
• For people at high risk for severe illness, added precautions may be needed.

Also by letter via email on May 11, 2022, Westwood Public Schools (WPS) COVID Team informed families of a significant increase in COVID-19 cases reported among the school population. There  have been 189 cases since the April 25, 2022 return from April Break. Of these, 111 cases were reported in the last seven days. 

The WPS COVID Team states, "Clearly, this week is an increase over previous weeks. The increase represents positive cases in both students and staff and in some cases (particularly at one elementary location) there are high numbers of students in the same classroom testing positive at the same time or in close succession to each other."

The "elementary location" likely referred to is Deerfield School, with 54 positive cases in that reporting timeframe. Deerfield has the highest number of cases of any school within the WPS District. By contrast, the next highest number of cases at an elementary school is a Downey School, with 16 cases. Westwood High School has had 49 reported cases and Thurston Middle School has recorded 50 cases since the return from April Break.

Image is a screenshot taken from the Westwood Public Schools COVID-19 Dashboard. Click the chart for additional data.

On mitigation, the WPS COVID team recommends home testing and keeping children with symptoms at home. It notes that the school district will be opening windows, providing outdoor meeting and activity options, and moving desks in elementary classrooms with high numbers of positive cases.  The district is also expected to be "[s]trongly recommending voluntary mask wearing in classrooms or buildings with high numbers of students and or staff testing positive with COVID-19."

"In the past, when we have experienced an increase of cases in a particular school, we have been able to break the chain of transmission at school by putting additional mitigation measures in place," states the WPS COVID team.

Keep in the loop with daily news from Westwood Minute. Subscribe!

You may also be interested in:

- Westwood and Norfolk County COVID-19 Coverage and Statistics

- Diaper Need Emerges as Health Indicator During Pandemic

- University Station Hosts Diaper Donation Drive for The Salvation Army of Massachusetts