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Worcester health officials report falling flu, ongoing COVID activity and note national measles surge
Summary
Worcester public-health staff reported declining influenza cases and a modest decline in COVID-19 cases for June compared with May, while warning of a growing national measles outbreak and describing a new COVID variant under surveillance.
Amelia Houghton, Chief of Public Health Nursing for the Worcester Division of Public Health, told the board on July 28 that influenza cases in the city fell from 38 in May to six in June and that confirmed COVID-19 cases declined from 42 to 33 over the same period.
Houghton said the division has not recorded any measles or pertussis cases in those months. She told the board that the COVID variant named NB.1.8.1 is of interest because it may spread more rapidly and has shown antibody-evading properties; she described it as currently the second-most-common strain in circulation. Houghton also noted a commonly reported symptom for NB.1.8.1 that clinicians have…
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