COVID-19 Cases Surpass 1,000 in Cambridge

The Cambridge Public Health Department (CPHD) reported that the number of known COVID-19 infections among Cambridge residents surpassed 1,000 on June 1, and that nearly 100 residents have died from the disease.

“With heavy hearts, we are announcing these difficult milestones today,” said Claude A. Jacob, the City’s Chief Public Health Officer and Director of the Cambridge Public Health Department. “Sadly, many of the deaths were among frail elderly residents of our nursing homes and a disproportionate share of this disease has been born by people of color, particularly Black and African-American residents of our city.”

“These milestones are solemn reminders that we are still in the midst of a public health emergency,” said Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui and City Manager Louis A. DePasquale in a joint statement. “This global pandemic has taken a terrible toll on the entire Cambridge community, particularly our most vulnerable. Our continued compliance with public health guidance will allow our city to minimize further impacts caused by COVID-19.”

Cambridge has a relatively high rate of testing compared to many other Massachusetts communities—including neighboring cities—and the City’s positivity rate is also relatively low. According to state data released last week, Cambridge had tested 9,525 residents, of whom about 10% were positive for COVID-19.

“The high rate of testing in Cambridge is a strong indicator that many of the measures that the city and residents have taken are working and we urge everyone to stay vigilant about physical distancing and wearing a face covering when outside the home,” said Jacob.

Since mid-April, Massachusetts has experienced steady declines in new hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19, but the state still has one of the highest rates of confirmed cases in the nation. COVID-19 can cause serious illness in people of all ages.

Since the pandemic began, more than 200 residents with confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 have recovered from the disease. Cambridge Public Health Department nurses and epidemiologists follow up with all reported cases multiple times throughout their illness. It is through these conversations that staff determine when a person infected with COVID-19 has met the Center for Disease Control’s criteria for ending isolation, which connotes recovery.

While many people with mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 illness will meet the CDC criteria in two weeks or less, people who survive severe illness might not meet the criteria for six weeks or more. Jacob also noted that most of the COVID-19 cases in the city’s long-term care facilities were identified through a universal testing program operated by the City of Cambridge, the Broad Institute, and Professional Ambulance Services.

The City’s case count total includes confirmed and probable cases.

For local information on COVID-19, please visit the City of Cambridge COVID-19 web page: https://www.cambridgema.gov/covid19.