City Of Framingham: Weekly COVID-19 Update, Wednesday, August 4

Press release from the City of Framingham:

August 4, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 08/04/2021

For further information, contact:Kelly McFallskmcfalls@framinghamma.govTel (508) 532-5437M (774) 285-1315

*COVID-19 UPDATE*Since Wednesday, July 28, 40 Residents have Tested Positive, and 19 More have Recovered from COVID-19;Face Coverings Now Required in All Public Framingham Municipal Buildings including the Callahan Center, Libraries, Memorial Building, Police & Fire Buildings, Parks & Recreation Administration, and the DPW Operations Center Effective Thursday, August 5; Health Department Distributes Demographic COVID-19 and Vaccination Data;Food Resource Guide;Update on the Vaccine Equity Initiative in Framingham

• Since Wednesday, July 28, 40 residents have tested positive, and 19 more have recovered from COVID-19: The number of people in the City who have tested positive for COVID-19 is 8,454. With 8,140 recovered and 250 fatalities, Framingham currently has 64 active cases. The Framingham Health Department contacts the people who were potentially exposed and the owners of the businesses or places of employment where the potential exposures occurred to inform and counsel them on next steps (contact tracing). In addition to the active cases, the Health Department is following 37 residents in quarantine.
• Face Coverings Required in Public Framingham Municipal Buildings Effective Thursday, August 5: Today, Mayor Yvonne M. Spicer issued an order stating that all persons (including visitors and employees) over the age of five entering City of Framingham municipal buildings shall wear a clean face covering, such as a fabric face mask, scarf, or bandana, over their mouth and nose, and exercise social distancing in accordance with CDC guidelines due to increasing COVID-19 cases. Framingham buildings include the Callahan Center, Libraries, Memorial Building, Police and Fire Buildings, Parks & Recreation Administration, and the DPW Operations Center. The Framingham Board of Health (BOH) will review the order Tuesday, August 10, during their regularly scheduled meeting. It is expected the BOH will be in support of the order. Those who are exempt from the face coverings requirement include:

• Children under five years of age 
• Persons for whom a face mask or covering creates a health risk or is not safe because of any of the following conditions or circumstances: 

• Face mask or covering affects the person’s ability to breathe safely;
  • Person has a mental health or other medical diagnosis that advises against wearing  a face mask or covering;
  • Person has a disability that prevents them from wearing a face mask or covering; or
  • Person depends on supplemental oxygen to breathe.
• Health Department Distributes Demographic COVID-19 and Vaccination Data: The City's Department of Public Health distributes demographic COVID-19 data about confirmed COVID-19 cases and vaccination efforts in Framingham. Reference today's data release here.
• Food Resource Guide: View the Food Resource Guide for August 2-15, in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, here.
• Update on the Vaccine Equity Initiative in Framingham: Last week, vaccinations were provided at the Framingham Public Health Nursing Office, Danforth Park MeetUp, Farm Pond MeetUp, BRACE, and Philadelphia Baptist Church. Since Wednesday, March 24, 5,752 vaccinations (Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson and Johnson) have been administered under the Equity Initiative. Those who have received dose one of Moderna and Pfizer have been invited to return for a second dose at the same community site to become fully vaccinated. To request a home visit, please call the City's Public Health Nursing Office at (508) 532-5667. Leave your name, phone number, and address, and someone will return your call within 36 hours.Reminder: the three vaccines - Johnson and Johnson, Moderna, and Pfizer - are effective against the “Delta” variant FOR THOSE WHO ARE FULLY VACCINATED. (Two doses of Moderna after 14 days, or two doses of Pfizer after 14 days, or a single dose of Johnson and Johnson after 14 days)The State’s Vaccine Equity Initiative Data Team has been working on an interactive dashboard to replace the current 20 weekly community reports released on Fridays. This new interactive dashboard shows trends over time and a more granular age-specific breakdown. See the new dashboard here.

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This press release was produced by the City of Framingham. The views expressed here are the author’s own.