Birx: Hub needs to ‘get on top’ of uptick
Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, has called out Boston as one of a handful of cities nationwide that need to “get on top of” concerning upticks in coronavirus cases.
“We are concerned that both Baltimore and Atlanta remain at a very high level, Kansas City, Portland, Omaha, of course what we talked about in the Central Valley,” Birx said on a private call with local officials Wednesday, according to audio obtained by the Center for Public Integrity.
“I also wanted to draw your attention to the fact we are seeing a slow uptick in test positivity and cases in places like Chicago, Boston and Detroit and D.C.,” she said, urging those cities to “work very carefully and get on top of it.”
Birx’s alarm bells come as state and local officials in Massachusetts keep a wary eye on the seven-day average positive test rate, which has a ticked up from a low of 1.7% in mid-July to as high as 2.2%.
Boston’s 14-day positive test rate was 2.16% this week, up from 1.92% the week prior, according to data released each Wednesday by the state Department of Public
Health. The city had 440 confirmed cases of the virus over the past two weeks.
Birx said Massachusetts remains in the “green category,” which federal reports classify by measures including a positive test rate under 5% and fewer than 10 new cases per 100,000 people per week.
But the feds — and local officials — clearly remain concerned. Birx told CNN over the weekend that the coronavirus “is extraordinarily widespread” in both urban and rural areas — remarks that drew ire from the president. Gov. Charlie Baker has said repeatedly that if large gatherings producing coronavirus clusters across the commonwealth continue, he’ll “have to consider” rolling back gathering limits — and potentially take other steps.
In response to the news, Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone tweeted Thursday, “This is not a drill. Our area is seeing an uptick in COVID cases. Be diligent about face coverings, distancing & hand washing.”
State Rep. Mike Connolly, D-Cambridge, tweeted, “Massachusetts failed to respond to the pandemic in a timely fashion back spring, and thousands died. Let’s not make the same mistakes again.”