Editor’s Note: In addition to the current case count, Town Manager Sarah Stanton corrected a misstatement in yesterday’s report on Wednesday’s Select Board meeting.
Click this link to read the Town’s full update for Thursday, May 14, 2020
The daily update is also available in the following places if you’d like to share with your friends:
- Website ~ www.BedfordMA.gov
- Facebook ~ @bedfordma
- Twitter ~ @BedfordMAGov
CURRENT CASES
As of today, May 14, 2020, there have been a total of one hundred and seventy-two (172) positive cases of COVID-19 reported to the Town of Bedford Board of Health by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MA DPH) and thirty-one (31) deaths of Bedford residents attributed to COVID-19. The total case number includes residents of the Town of Bedford, including but not limited to those in single-family homes, apartments, the VA campus, Hanscom Air Force Base, special needs group homes and any and all other larger assisted living/care facilities in Bedford as reported to us by the MA DPH.
As you may be aware, long term care facilities serving the elderly and congregate-care facilities, house susceptible populations with underlying conditions who are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. Increased testing occurs at these facilities and results in more positive cases being identified. As such, cities and towns with these facilities, like Bedford, experience elevated positive case counts and, unfortunately, deaths due to the vulnerability to COVID-19 of the populations within those facilities.
Forty (40) of the total Bedford cases have already recovered and have come off of isolation and there may other Bedford residents who would be considered persons under investigation (PUIs) in that they are symptomatic, have undergone testing but have not yet received results. There are other individuals impacted by COVID-19 in the community who have not sought medical attention, and/or have not been tested and are isolating at home regardless. Those individuals do not appear on the surveillance reports the Town receives from the MA DPH.
The Board of Health continues to do the appropriate follow-up and outreach to those residents and close contacts known to us and the VA is conducting follow-up and contact tracing of the Veterans under their care. Many of the identified close contacts of some of the Bedford cases never exhibited symptoms, have completed their required quarantine period, and have been released from quarantine by the Board of Health.
Please note, in part to alleviate the community concern, the VA does do a daily report of their numbers, which includes inpatients, outpatients, and staff, many of whom do not call Bedford home. The information can be found at https://www.accesstocare.va.gov/Healthcare/COVID19NationalSummary
May 13, 2020, COVID-19 Daily Update- Select Board Meeting Correction
Yesterday, I used the word “voted” to describe the action of the Select Board to move forward with holding Annual Town Meeting on Saturday, June 27, 2020, as referenced in the daily COVID-19 update. The Select Board did not take a vote during their meeting on May 13, 2020, regarding holding Annual Town Meeting, but rather expressed consensus on the proposed date of Saturday, June 27, 2020. Further details will be released in upcoming updates on Annual Town Meeting, when, where, and how.
As you all know, I have been writing to you with this daily update for 10 weeks, 7 days a week, nearly 70 days straight. At some point, there was bound to be a mistake, and yesterday was that day. I apologize for any confusion I may have caused by using the word “voted” in reference to Annual Town Meeting. No ill-intention, just a tired Town Manager.
Stay healthy!…(and wash your hands as often as possible.)
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