Massachusetts' key COVID-19 figures near all-time lows

BOSTON -- The four major metrics that guide Massachusetts' economic reopening and return to a more normal social life hung tight at or near their all-time lows in the latest report from the Department of Public Health.

After almost a month of a slow but steady increase to 2.2 percent that prompted Gov. Charlie Baker to hit pause on the statewide economic reopening, the seven-day average of the positive test rate remained at its all-time low of 1.4 percent in Monday's report. The three-day average of the state's COVID-19 hospitalized population stands at 371, about 3 percent above the low of 359 patients. Two hospitals are relying on surge capacity (compared to none as recently as Aug. 9) and the three-day average number of daily COVID-19 deaths is 13, compared to an all-time low of 11.

Though the metrics appear to be in decent shape statewide, East Boston Rep. Adrian Madaro on Monday called attention to the structural factors that he said contribute to his neighborhood having the highest COVID-19 positive test rate in Boston.

"Our COVID infection rates are higher because our communities are systemically more vulnerable to the spread of this disease," he wrote in a Twitter thread. "This was true at the beginning of the shutdown, and it has become truer as MA has progressed through the phases of Reopening."

Gov. Charlie Baker, who last week pointed to a new method of categorizing the COVID-19 risks by town as he prodded local officials to reopen schools for at least some in-person instruction this fall, did not hold a public event Monday.

New State Dashboard Tracks Travel Trends

State officials on Monday rolled out a new dashboard to help people understand how much people are traveling, how they are getting around, and where they are going in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation said its MassDOT Mobility Dashboard will be updated weekly and will enable users to "visualize, analyze, and monitor data collected by MassDOT to better understand the effects of COVID-19 on the Commonwealth's transportation network." The agency said it is continuously monitoring the impacts of COVID-19 on roadways, transit services, and Registry of Motor Vehicles transactions, and the dashboard's topics include traffic volumes, vehicle miles traveled, and transit revenue.

"This dashboard is just one of the ways that MassDOT is compiling and monitoring transportation data," state Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack said. "Having one central location to access and analyze the impacts of COVID-19 increases public accessibility."

Monday DPH Update

State public health officials reported 213 new test-confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday, and the rolling average of positive tests continued to hover at the new low of 1.4 percent.

The four new deaths reported Monday bring the pandemic's death toll in Massachusetts to 8,611, or 8,842 when fatalities among people with probable cases of COVID-19 are added to the count.

Sixty-four percent of the deaths have been reported in long-term care facilities like nursing homes. Statewide, 379 long-term care facilities have reported at least one probable or confirmed COVID-19 case, and a total of 24,512 long-term care residents and workers have been diagnosed with probable or confirmed cases.

East Boston Company to Make 150,000 Medical Gowns

Sterlingwear of Boston has signed a contract with the City of Boston to produce up to 150,000 medical gowns for Boston's first responders and frontline workers.

The Walsh administration announced the deal Monday morning, calling it a partnership that supports the employment of skilled garment workers at a locally owned, third-generation East Boston manufacturer.

"Prior to pivoting operations to produce medical gowns, Sterlingwear of Boston was set to close after the federal government ended a 45 year contract to manufacture the traditional U.S. Navy wool peacoats earlier this year," according to City Hall. "Sterlingwear of Boston is the last remaining garment manufacturer in the City of Boston."

The garment maker, which for more than 55 years has made uniforms for the U.S. military, expects to also manufacture medical gowns for small and local businesses, including community health centers, and assisted living and nursing homes.

Warren Pepicelli, manager and international executive vice president of New England Joint Board UNITE HERE, called the deal "an important example of why we should value manufacturing work and what is possible when we put our neighbors back to work."