On October 13, two 60-foot trailers will be delivered to the Buffum Street Parking Lot and will become Lynn Community Health Center’s expanded COVID-19 Testing Site.  The health center’s current site, located in the Element Care Parking Lot at 9 Buffum Street, uses tents from the City of Lynn Fire Department to protect patients and staff from the elements.  The more permanent structures will make it easier for the health center to offer testing services through the winter.

“COVID-19 is still a serious concern in our community and is likely to remain so for a long time,” said Dr. Geoffrey Pechinsky, Chief Medical Officer at LCHC.  “The 7-day average positive rate in Lynn is 7.9%, significantly higher than the state rate of 1.1%.  We are working very closely with the City to encourage people to get tested any time they feel unwell or are concerned about exposure.  Some people, for example those whose jobs put them at high risk of exposure, should get tested regularly.  We are happy to do repeat tests as needed.”

Every week on the MA Department of Public Health releases numbers for how COVID-19 has impacted the state, and we try to highlight some of these numbers so the community is informed. Their numbers factor in the past week as well as the week before, giving 2 weeks worth of data.

There are currently 78 communities in the yellow category (with 4-8 cases per 100K), & 40 communities in the red (with more than 8 cases per 100K). Last week there were 80 communities in the yellow category & 23 in the red. This means that in just the last week 17 communities were added to the red category, indicating that COVID-19 is still running rampant in the state. With news of many cities not cancelling Halloween and tourists still visiting Salem, despite most activities being cancelled, at least a small spike in cases can be expected next month.