By Max Bowen-max.bowen@northstarreporter.com
North has joined 100 communities in Massachusetts that have been labeled as Red as a result of rising cases of COVID-19.
North Attleborough has reported 744 cases of COVID, according to the Board of Health office. For towns with a population between 10,000 and 50,000, being labeled Red happens when there is an average of 10 cases per 100,000 people and a 5 percent positivity rate.
Over a two-week period from Nov. 19-Dec. 3, the town has seen 133 cases. This results in an average daily incidence rate of 31.3. Nearby towns that have been labeled Red include Bellingham, Attleboro, Rehoboth, and Plainville.
In early November, the town was labeled Red as cases increased by 43 over a two-week period. At the Town Council meeting on Nov. 23, Town Manager Michael Borg made the announcement.
“Taking the time to take preventative measures to stop COVID helps everyone else,” said Borg.
Board of Health Director Anne Marie Fleming has said previously that there has been a change in the demographic of COVID patients. In the early days of the pandemic, older residents were contracting it, but this has shifted to those between the ages of 20 and 40. There has been one new reported death from COVID-19, the first since the early summer.
In the schools, there have been a total of three in-school exposure positive COVID-cases since Sept. 16. A total of 46 students an staff have been quarantined due to these cases. The total out of school exposure positive COVID cases is 19, with 160 staff and students quarantined as a result. This information was posted to the school web site and as is of Nov. 20. North Attleborough schools have operated in a hybrid format since opening on Sept. 16, and at this time, no announcement has been made on a change to this.
Statewide, there have been 232,264 confirmed COVID cases in Massachusetts. The total confirmed number of deaths since March is 10,637. The highest number of deaths from COVID-19 was reported in May, and began to drop sharply after that, but is now seeing a slight increase.
The following information comes from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. This measures case counts and testing from the Nov. 15-28.
Bristol County
- Total Case Count—20,553
- Case Count in the last 14 days—3,653
- Average Daily Incidence Rate per 100,000—45.7
- Relative Change in Case Count—Lower
- Total Tests—507,437
- Total Tests (Last 14 days)—62,945
- Total Positive Tests (Last 14 days)—4,299
- Percent Positivity (Last 14 days)—6.83 percent
- Change in Percent Positivity—Higher
North Attleborough
- Total Case Count—744
- Case Count in the last 14 days—133
- Average Daily Incidence Rate per 100,000—31.3
- Relative Change in Case Count—Higher
- Total Tests—19537
- Total Tests (Last 14 days)—2,664
- Total Positive Tests (Last 14 days)—142
- Percent Positivity (Last 14 days)—5.33 percent
- Change in Percent Positivity—Higher
