from today's Worcester Telegram - April 2, 2020:

As Worcester County saw another COVID-19 death Wednesday morning — a patient at Heywood Hospital in Gardner — the rural communities of Holland, Oakham, Petersham, Princeton and Royalston are reporting they have no confirmed cases in their towns.

The hardest hit communities are Worcester, with 165 cases, Fitchburg 44 cases, Marlboro 35, Northboro 25, Shrewsbury 29, Westboro 19, Grafton 16, Southboro 11, and Clinton 12.

Other Central Massachusetts communities and the number of cases they have recently reported include: Ashburnham 1, Athol 2, Auburn 6, Barre 1, Berlin 1, Blackstone 8, Bolton 1, Boylston 2, Charlton 8, Douglas 6, Dudley 5, East Brookfield 1, Gardner 4, Holden 7, Hudson 10, Leicester 4, Leominster 17, Lunenburg 5, Milford 9, Millbury 7, Millville 1, Northbridge 4, Oxford 2, Phillipston 1, Southbridge 8, Spencer 5, Sutton 9, Templeton 2, Upton 1, Uxbridge 9, Ware 1, Webster 7, West Boylston 2.

Heywood Hospital’s CEO said Wednesday that 35 patients have tested positive out of 502 tested from the communities it serves in northern Worcester County.

Support TCTV in Scout Hall:

No survey required - You have face book live at meetings, you re able to ask questions real time, without being at meeting, because of TCTV! We are able to have these video conference meetings because of TCTV, Community Preservation Committee supports TCTV in Scout Hall building.

TCTV has a business plan, a plan to address economic development, when the EDIC has not even met yet.

You are able to watch meetings without going or you are able to attend one meeting while another one is going on and you can then watch that meeting; because of TCTV.

Again, no survey required; No Brainer, TCTV in Scout Hall so they have a place for setup, equipment and to work out of - they have enterprise fund, they have retained earnings and again, they have a plan and TCTV seems to always be moving along for betterment of the product.

© REUTERS/Sukree SukplangBats appear to be the source of the coronavirus, but it's not yet clear which type, or types, of animals were the "intermediate hosts" that passed the virus on to humans.

• SARS-CoV-2 is just one of many coronaviruses, and most of them jump from animals to humans.
• Bats are especially notorious for hosting a number of harmful viruses in the past including SARS, MERS, and Ebola.
• It's unclear where the novel coronavirus comes from but researchers have considered bats and pangolins as a possible source.
• Most humans have already been infected with some strain of coronavirus, experts say, but it's unlikely the illness was as severe as certain cases of COVID-19.

With the world focused on the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, spreading around the world and claiming tens of thousands of lives as of this writing, it's easy to forget that it's part of a broader collection of coronaviruses. And those coronaviruses have been infecting humans for decades.

"Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that cause a wide range of illnesses, most of which lead to upper respiratory infections," said Jacqueline Vernarelli, PhD, Sacred Heart University director of research education and an assistant professor of public health.

Her colleague, Sofia Pendley, PhD, Sacred Heart University's clinical assistant professor of public health, said that humans first discovered coronaviruses in the 1960s, and learned the virus class can infect both humans and animals, meaning it's what experts call zoonotic.

There's a common theory yet to be proven that the COVID-19 virus originated in bats and then mutated, where it could jump to humans and survive. After all, "bats have been the source of other high-profile zoonotic viruses," Pendley said. Viruses like SARS, MERS, and Ebola.

Pendley, however, cautioned that while this theory is certainly possible, it's also possible upon further inspection that SARS-CoV-2 could have come from a different animal. For example, researchers have found a coronavirus very similar to SARS-CoV-2 in pangolins. But, again, it's unclear who animal patient zero is for COVID-19.

Both Pendley and Vernarelli said the novel coronavirus is one of many viruses to mutate and jump from animals to humans. They called the phenomenon a "spillover event." And it's extremely common.

from an article in Reuters: March 29, 2020:

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, estimated in an interview with CNN that the pandemic could cause between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths in the United States.

Since 2010, the flu has killed between 12,000 and 61,000 Americans a year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 1918-19 flu pandemic killed 675,000 in the United States, according to the CDC https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-commemoration/pandemic-preparedness.htm.

The U.S. coronavirus death toll topped 2,400 on Sunday, after deaths on Saturday more than doubled from the level two days prior. The United States has now recorded more than 137,000 cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, the most of any country in the world. (Graphic: https://tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T)

Jason Brown, who was laid off from his job in digital media due to the pandemic, said Fauci's estimate was scary.

By GREG VINE

Athol Daily News

Published: 3/26/2020 6:12:51 PM

Modified: 3/26/2020 6:12:44 PM

ATHOL – Two efforts have been launched, apparently independently of one another, in an attempt to oust Superintendent Darcy Fernandes as leader of the Athol Royalston Regional School District.

A letter signed by 18 parents of members of the girls’ middle and high school basketball teams and an online petition, both urging the Athol Regional School Committee to fire Fernandes, were generated last weekend.

The letter was composed after a video of Fernandes speaking at the Wareham Boys and Girls Club Martine Luther King Jr. Breakfast on Jan. 20 came to light. In the video Fernandes, the event’s keynote speaker, discusses an incident that allegedly took place during a middle school girls basketball game in December 2018. Members of the Athol team were accused of taunting their opponents from Sabis International Charter School in Springfield with racial epithets.

An investigation was unable to adequately substantiate the accusations and Fernandes subsequently sent a letter to parents apologizing for comments she made in relation to the incident. Yet, she maintains that “evidence supports that racial statements were made” by Athol team members. Prior to the investigation, Fernandes reportedly upbraided the team, warned them of the gravity of the situation, and urged anyone who knew about the alleged incident to come forward.

In her address at the breakfast, Fernandes said that, during the investigation, members of the Sabis team were interviewed “and I found out, yes, that it happened that day on the court.”

She then said: “What played out in the news was the following: How dare she accuse us. How dare she put us in a position to believe our kids would be that way. And how dare she put in a civics justice course in the schools, where she tells the kids that black lives matter and blue lives don’t.

“I went to the girls’ basketball team,” she continued, “and I apologized — for my tone, not my actions.”

She also implied in her address that the teacher of the civics justice course was effectively chased from the district by angry parents.

When contacted for comment by the Athol Daily News on Tuesday, Fernandes said she would be releasing a statement the following day. On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the superintendent said she would have no comment at this time.

“Because it is considered personnel related I cannot comment at this time,” said School Committee Chair Lee Chauvette. “All info will be forwarded to our district counsel attorney Fred Dupere.”

Lonnie Bonifant, a co-author of the letter and whose daughter plays basketball (now for Athol High School), said she was unaware of the petition drive when she wrote the letter. The petition lists 13 grievances against Fernandes, including her actions relative to the basketball team.

“It is what it is,” she said. “It’s up to the school committee what happens from here on out. My biggest concern is still with the basketball issue. It’s left a bad taste in our mouths — the parents, the players, and the community — from start to finish. She was worried about the feelings of the Sabis players, but she didn’t think about the feelings of our kids.”

Fernandes address to the Boys and Girls Club, said Bonifant, stretches the truth. It bashes the town, in my opinion. It certainly doesn’t make the town look very good. And it doesn’t make our girls look good

“Writing a letter like this isn’t normally my thing, but you can only be pushed so far.”

Grievances against the superintendent in the online petition range from staff cuts, poor relations with the district teachers, allegedly referring to special needs students as “problem children,” and slandering the students on the girls’ basketball team. A link to a video recording of Fernandes’ speech in Wareham is also included.

The Athol Daily News has not been able to reach the originator of the petition, identified as “John Smith” and assumed to be a pseudonym. On online search found no John Smith listed as living in Athol or Royalston. With a stated goal of collecting 1,000 signatories, at last check it had been signed by 881 individuals.

However, there is no way of knowing exactly how many of those people are residents of Athol or Royalston or are parents of Athol Royalston Regional School District students. Anyone accessing the petition on the Change.org website can add their name.

In his continued response to the coronavirus pandemic, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker ordered utility companies Tuesday to not shut off gas, electric or water for people who fail to pay their bills.

The declaration applies to all investor-owned business. The order will last until the governor’s state of emergency, announced on March 10, is lifted or the state Department of Public Utilities determines otherwise, according to a statement from Baker.

"This order will ensure the continued availability of gas, electric, and water service to all ratepayers during the state of emergency,” DPU Chairman Matthew Nelson said in the statement. “Today’s action will also protect residents and businesses from added economic pressure during these difficult and uncertain times.”

The announcement comes as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect businesses and people’s finances. To combat the impact, Baker launched a $10 million recovery loan fund for small businesses last week, and President Donald Trump has previously ordered a suspension on all foreclosures and evictions through the end of April.

Congressional and White House leaders Tuesday night also agreed on an emergency stimulus package to provide million of dollars in aid to businesses, workers and health care systems affected by the outbreak. The federal tax deadline has been pushed back as well, and local tax extensions are being considered.

Baker’s order also prohibits utility companies from sending messages to customers threatening to shut off services for failure to pay an entire or portion of a bill, the statement said. Any business that violates the declaration may be issued a penalty up to $1 million per violation.

The DPU issued a moratorium earlier this month requesting that utility companies stop shutting off gas and electric services to residents. The new order now includes any investor-owned companies, including industrial, commercial and small business customers, according to the governor’s statement.