Brockton urging residents to get tested for COVID-19 amid spike in cases
The city of Brockton is urging residents to follow public health guidelines because the city is “not heading in the right direction" amid a resurgence in COVID-19 cases.
Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan said the spike in cases "is happening and it’s real here in the city of Brockton."
On Thursday, the Brockton Board of Health reported 15 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and nine additional hospitalizations attributed to COVID-19, according to information obtained from The Enterprise.
The new coronavirus cases bring Brockton’s totals since the beginning of the state’s outbreak to 4,489 confirmed cases and 277 deaths.
Brockton has a 4.81% positivity rate the last two weeks, which is the fourth highest in the state among communities that have had more than five new coronavirus cases. The city had a higher positivity rate than several communities that have been deemed high-risk for COVID-19 by the state. Only Lynn, Revere and Everett had a higher positivity rate the last two weeks.
Dr. Richard Herman, the city’s part-time coronavirus consultant, who is also an emergency physician at Good Samaritan Medical Center, said the numbers are a sign that a community “should not be moving forward with anything.”
The Brockton Neighborhood Health Center continues to offer free COVID-19 testing at the drive-thru Brockton High School site through the state’s Stop the Spread program.
Testing, which is free through Sept. 12, is available to all area residents.
People who want to be tested must pre-register for an appointment. Any patient who is interested should call the COVID-19 hotline at 1-844-483-7819 to see if you meet the testing criteria.