Waltham Coronavirus Count: 6 Cases

WALTHAM, MA —As of Tuesday, there are six cases of the coronavirus in Waltham, according to Waltham Director of Public Health Michelle Feeley.

The six, the first case reported last week, are part of 218 cases in the state. The numbers come as the governor announced Tuesday that all cases that previously categorized as presumptive positive will now be considered positive. Of the 218 cases as of Tuesday, 89 of them were situated in Middlesex County.

Of the total number of cases across the state, 102 of them are believed to have come from the Biogen conference in Boston in February, 33 of the cases are deemed to have come from "local transmission," and 24 are related to travel. Some 59 cases are still under investigation.

In addition to those with the virus, communities are also keeping tabs on people in self quarantine. In Waltham her department is monitoring 15 people in self quarantine – those are not considered cases. That number changes quite frequently as people begin and complete quarantine at various times, according to Feeley.

"What people don’t understand is that they NEED to adhere to the guidance from the Governor’s Office and from the CDC and Mass State Dept of Public Health," Feeley told Patch.

The governor's office and the CDC and the state department of public health are all asking residents to stay home for the next two weeks. They are also asking people not to gather in groups of more than 25, that when they do gather with people outside their household, they practice social distancing - or staying at least six feet away from that person. It's all an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

"We believe that people should not be engaging in non-essential activities," Baker said Tuesday during a press conference. He stressed that people take seriously the call to stay away from others and practice social distancing. "The reason we're taking this so seriously is because it's incredibly contagious, it's a lot more contagious than the regular flu."

Read more on this:

>> Waltham Coronavirus Updates

>> Person Exposed To Coronavirus Told To Self Quarantine: Waltham

>> Gov Baker Announces Updates On Coronavirus In MA

According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick or people who are not in your household, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).