(WWLP) – The weekly Massachusetts Department of Health report identifies cases of clusters. The following information is posted every Thursday by 5 p.m. The current data below was posted Friday, November 27 due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
New Clusters (identified 10/25 – 11/21)
- Household: 7,850
- Long Term Care Facilities: 116
- Child Care: 74
- 24/7 Congregate Settings: 32
- K-12 Schools: 30
- Restaurants & Food Courts: 29
- Industrial Settings: 28
- Colleges & Universities: 27
- Senior Living: 27
- Social Gatherings: 23
- Other Healthcare: 12
- Hospitals: 12
- Other Workplaces: 11
- Organized Athletics/Camps: 10
- Offices: 8
- Places of Worship: 6
- Corrections: 6
- Retail & Services: 5
- Other: 5
- Other Food Establishments: 4
- Shelters: 4
- Recreation/Cultural: 1
- Travel & Lodging: 1
Total Clusters by Setting
- Household: 10,562
- Long Term Care Facilities: 229
- Child Care: 137
- Restaurants & Food Courts: 77
- Industrial Settings: 70
- 24/7 Congregate Settings: 66
- Social Gatherings: 62
- K-12 Schools: 63
- Senior Living: 48
- Organized Athletics/Camps: 42
- Colleges & Universities: 42
- Hospitals: 29
- Retail & Services: 26
- Other Healthcare: 26
- Other Workplaces: 22
- Offices: 17
- Places of Worship: 16
- Corrections: 16
- Other: 12
- Other Food Establishments: 8
- Recreation/Cultural: 8
- Shelters: 6
- Travel & Lodging: 3
Clusters Within Long-Term Care Facilities
- A confirmed case is defined as a staff or resident with a new positive COVID-19 test result.
- Confirmed cases are reported by each facility in aggregate, at least once a week, and are assigned to the week in which the data are submitted.
- A “new” cluster is defined as two or more confirmed cases in a facility that has not reported a confirmed case in the prior 4 weeks.
- A cluster is deemed closed when a facility has gone two incubation periods (28 days) without reporting a confirmed case among staff or residents.
Household Clusters
- A household “cluster” is defined as two or more confirmed Massachusetts cases, who reside at the same address with COVID-19 infection within 28 days of each other, and who are not associated with another cluster.
- The date assigned to each confirmed case’s event is that of the first positive lab date.
- A cluster is deemed closed once two incubation periods (28 days) have passed from the last confirmed case.
All Other Clusters
- All other “clusters” are defined as two or more confirmed Massachusetts cases with a common exposure.
- The date assigned to each confirmed case’s event is that of the first positive lab date.
- The date assigned to each contact is that of the date they were linked to the cluster.
- A cluster is deemed closed once two incubation periods (28 days) have passed from the last confirmed case.
