COVID

Baker sick amid COVID surge; tests negative for virus

Positive case counts have been climbing steadily since mid-March.

By Ross Cristantiello

May 17, 2022

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Late Tuesday morning, Gov. Charlie Baker’s aides cleared his schedule for the rest of the day, which included two public events, State House News Service reported. It appeared Baker was sick, but officials confirmed he had not come down with COVID-19. 

“Governor Baker is not feeling well and will not be attending public events in person today. The Governor is attending meetings virtually today and has tested negative for COVID-19,” spokesperson Terry MacCormack said in a statement.

Although the Governor dodged the virus, positive case counts continue to rise around the state. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported Monday that there were 10,789 new confirmed cases since last Thursday. In addition, 973 “probable” cases were reported. The Department also listed 739 patients as currently hospitalized with the virus. 

As of Monday, the seven-day average of new confirmed cases across Massachusetts is 3,318.9, according to the MDPH. This average has been trending upwards since March 13, when the department listed it as 601.7. The lowest the average ever reached was 64.1 on June 25, 2021. The highest was 23,197.7 on January 8, 2022. 

While many have become accustomed to lower numbers and a break from COVID anxiety during the warmer months, officials are urging caution. 

“Despite the warmer weather and our collective hope for a reprieve of some sort, it is important to acknowledge that COVID-19 is still with us, and we need to continue to utilize the proven public health measures and tools at our disposal to prevent infection and disease spread,” Massachusetts Medical Society President Carole Allen said, according to SHNS. “Public health data reveal that positive cases in Massachusetts communities and in our schools have been climbing over recent weeks, fueled by Omicron variant BA.2 and the subvariant BA.2 12.1. It is impossible to predict whether the case numbers will continue to rise, but we know there are measures we can all take to minimize COVID-19′s impact.”

Positive cases are continuing to come from the State House, SHNS reported, as it is now open to visitors regardless of whether or not they have been vaccinated or taken a COVID test recently. 

Legislators are working in a mask-optional environment, and lawmakers are allowed to participate in sessions remotely, according to SHNS.