On Wednesday, April 15th Secretary Marylou Sudders of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) announced that the Department of Public Health (DPH) COVID-19 website would start to include a breakdown of coronavirus cases by city and town. This will be reported weekly with an update each Wednesday. EOHHS has stated that by looking at the impact of the virus on specific cities and towns, it will help identify potential ‘hot spots’ which will assist in the public health response to slow the spread of the disease and help to appropriately deploy resources.
The DPH breakdown as of April 15th indicates that Malden has 379 confirmed cases. Since this crisis, Malden’s Public Health Department has been working to obtain the most accurate information available for the public. At this point, accurate numbers are difficult to ascertain given the system utilized statewide and the amount of information coming in as more testing is conducted. As of April 16th, Malden’s Health Department reports 441 confirmed cases. There could be many reasons for this discrepancy with the state’s number including when the information was processed and the timing of when the report is generated.
Sadly, over the last week, the City has also learned that there were four (4) confirmed deaths due to the virus. A case is not confirmed as resulting from COVID-19 until the City Clerk receives the death certificate that states the virus as the cause of death.
It is anticipated that these numbers will increase as more testing takes place. The Health Department continues to monitor cases and do the appropriate contact tracing and outreach. Please continue to avoid gatherings, practice social distancing, wash hands and sanitize surfaces frequently. If you feel sick, consult a medical professional immediately.