Coronavirus: Weymouth Positive Case Total Spikes To 167

WEYMOUTH, MA — Weymouth reported a spike in the amount of positive coronavirus tests in the town on Wednesday 167 confirmed tests in the town. number is an increase of 100 over the 67 tests reported as of Friday, and 124 over the total from one week ago.

"It likely does not reflect actual, total cases. Residents are encouraged to continue implementing hygiene practices and social distancing to prevent the spread of the virus," the Weymouth Board of Health said in a standard disclaimer on the town's website.

The reported jump of cases came after Weymouth Emergency Management Director John Mulveyhill issued an emergency message regarding the new coronavirus to all town residents on Monday.

"We're entering a critical time over the next several weeks in our fight to slow the spread of COVID-19. The number of positive cases in Weymouth are increasing and are expected to peak in the coming weeks," Mulveyhill said on Monday.

WFXT-TV also reported on Sunday it obtained an internal memo on the Weymouth Police Department confirming that an officer tested positive for COVID-19.

Gov. Charlie Baker said Wednesday Massachusetts "is still on the upward slope of this pandemic" more than an hour before state health officials announced new daily highs in deaths and new cases related to COVID-19. The Department of Public Health said there were 77 new deaths and 1,588 new cases for a total of 433 deaths and 16,790 cases. The DPH for the first time Wednesday released race and ethnicity data.

Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders cautioned the race and ethnicity data, which is current as of April 5, may be incomplete. There have been 87,511 tests performed across more than two dozen labs.

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