Public Health Tips:

• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines.
• Get tested if you have symptoms. 
• Wear a mask if you have symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19. 
• You may choose to wear a mask at any time as an additional precaution to protect yourself and others. 
• If you are at high risk for severe illness, consider wearing a mask indoors in public and taking additional precautions

COVID Updates - May 2022

Our current documented COVID numbers are 52. The current amount of COVID patients in Emerson hospital is 14 with only one in ICU (not intubated).  Please remember this includes residents from all of Emerson catchment areas.

Also, the CDC has increased the metric for Middlesex County to red.  The CDC determines the COVID -19 community level differently than previously done with the following three metrics: 

• New COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population in the past 7 days.
• The percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients.
• The total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in the past 7 days 

It now measures the impact of COVID-19 illness on health and healthcare systems not just high transmission rates.  Even though we are in the red, we are still seeing that immunity from vaccinated residents’ risk of severe illness is reduced for most people, however, those that are immunocompromised may be at higher risk for serious illness. The Town of Acton encourages those that are at high risk to be fully vaccinated and boosted.  

Below are the current prevention steps, as recommended by the CDC that should be taken while Middlesex County remains with the red metric: 

• Wear a mask indoors in public
• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
• Get tested if you have symptoms and stay home if you are sick.
• Additional precautions may be needed for people at high risk for severe illness 

The Town of Acton will consider offering a booster dose clinic when those ages 5-12 can be boosted and if the need arises, but with the previous, low response to our school-aged boosted clinic for those 12+, we are concerned about vaccine waste.  Currently, most pharmacies, including Acton Pharmacy, have been running clinics daily and helping those that are eligible as well as our homebound and housing authority residents. We will closely monitor and be prepared if the need arises.

Mask Mandate Rescinded Effective February 24, 2022

During the February 23 Board of Health meeting, the Board voted to rescind the mask mandate effective at 12:01 AM on Thursday, February 24, 2022. As such, face coverings are no longer required in indoor public spaces within the Town of Acton.