Mayor blames residents for virus spread
By JOSH RESNEK
Everett counted nearly 700 new cases of the COVID-19 virus during the past seven days.
The week began with elevated numbers of new infections in this city and among all our neighboring cities and towns.
The mayor has placed the blame for the spread of the virus on residents.
He claims the virus is being spread from apartment to apartment and from home to home by families failing to adhere to pleas for social distancing and face masks.
Massachusetts reported more than 5,500 new cases last week and 77 deaths.
State infections numbers rose to about 40,000 new cases in the past seven days.
At the former Whidden Hospital now owned and run by the Cambridge Health Alliance here in Everett, beds are hard to find.
The hospital is crowded and busy.
“The hospital is packed. It is not entirely filled with COVID-19 patients. A lot of people are sick,” said an employee of the hospital who wished to remain unnamed.
So far, since March, 13,160 Massachusetts residents have died of the virus.
At the start of November, 436 patients were hospital- ized in Massachusetts with the virus.
Last week, that total had risen to 2,235.
Massachusetts is among those states where the virus is soaring, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Nationwide deaths stood at approximately 375,000 as the new week began.
Twenty-two million people are infected in the United States.
Vaccine roll-out in Everett is expected to finally take place for first responders at the end of this week.
Police officers and firefighters are set to be vaccinated by Friday.
Nursing home residents and their caregivers have already been vaccinated here.
Vaccine roll-out, however, is exceptionally slow and disorganized.
In neighboring Chelsea, it has been reported by several police officers for that city that the vast majority of officers are not going to be vaccinated.
It is believed the same attitude exists in the ranks in Everett and in other communities.
The vaccines will not work to stamp out the virus unless nearly everyone is vaccinated, according to epidemiologists.