3 Newton Residents Die Because Of Coronavirus

NEWTON, MA — Three Newton residents have died in the past week from the new coronavirus which causes COVID-19, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller announced Wednesday night.

"Join me in extending compassion to those who are grieving," she said in a statement.

As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 1, the Newton Department of Health and Human Services has had 94 people test positive for COVID-19 since this situation began up from 83 testing positive yesterday.

The mayor did not release any other details about the three people who died, other than that their deaths were related to COVID-19. The deaths mark the city's first related to the virus.

The news came as the number of people who died because of coronavirus statewide rose to 122. As of Wednesday evening 7,738 had tested positive in Massachusetts. Even as testing expands — more than 51,000 have been administered, DPH said Wednesday afternoon — the true totals are thought to be significantly higher.

The mayor also announced she will only release the number of deaths once a week in the middle of the week, "typically on Wednesdays," and, unlike the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, would give no personal information, no age, gender or whether they had underlying health issues, related to those who passed away.

That decision comes in part to protect the privacy of those in mourning, and in part to follow suggested guidance from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, she said.

Fuller said MDPH asked that specific information about those who have died only be reported at the county level.

"[And] Partly this decision reflects the fact that the outcomes for those with COVID-19 are not always reported to Newton’s Health and Human Services authorities in timely and/or consistent manners; people are being cared for in a variety of settings and notifications sometimes are incomplete and slow," she said in the statement.

DPH has no authority to require towns not to publish numbers.

In a statement sent to Patch Monday, a spokesperson from DPH said communities were at liberty to share the numbers.

"The decision to share case counts is the responsibility of a city or town," a Massachusetts Department of Health spokesperson said in a statement to Patch. "DPH recommends that local boards of health respect the privacy and confidentiality of residents when providing case counts."

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