COVID-19 Local Case Report

Updated June 29, 2022

As we learn to live/work/learn with the Coronavirus and move from pandemic to endemic, the Town of Weston Board of Health wishes to stress that individuals should assess their personal risk for infection based on their own health status and that of their close/household family members.  Individual home antigen (point of care testing for COVID-19) results are not cataloged by local or State public health authorities. Testing data that is tracked by the State and available to local public health is only for proctored (observed) antigen tests, classified as probable results, and lab-based NAAT-type tests (PCR or similar) which are run at a lab and classified as confirmed results. Fewer and fewer people are using these types of tests, opting instead for quick and easy home tests. This allows positive or symptomatic people to isolate and prevent the spread of the virus. However, it eliminates a predictable source of information for the general public and State and local health officials. 

Below are three alternative data sources which you may want to use in your assessment of current case rates and risk of infection. Staying up to date on your vaccinations remains the best protection against severe disease: 

  1. The COVID-19 Community Level information from the CDC
  2. The COVID-19 Interactive Data Dashboard maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health: Navigate to Weston data using the Navigation menu on the left side of the data table.
  3. Wastewater COVID-19 Tracking Data from Biobot at the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. Sewage contains valuable information on human health because viruses, bacteria, and chemical metabolites are excreted in urine and stool.  Through wastewater epidemiology, Biobot Analytics uses the data present in wastewater to gain valuable insights that shape the health of communities. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Biobot has worked with communities across North America to measure SARS-CoV-2 trends in sewage.  Because of the early onset of viral shedding, wastewater data has been shown to be a reliable leading indicator of COVID-19 cases.  This allows officials to make more informed decisions on a jurisdiction by jurisdiction basis. While all residences in Weston are on septic systems, the evaluation of wastewater data gives early warning of increased area COVID-19 transmission.

With the understanding that COVID-19 infections do not localize to any one town or county it is important to include the area around Weston in addition to the town itself. Please reach out with questions.