Published March 10, 2021
By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — After a recent decline, Wakefield’s COVID numbers are “creeping back up,” according to Health Director Ruth Clay.
She said there were 48 new cases last week, compared to 44 the previous week and 38 the week before that. The local numbers are “trending in the wrong direction,” Clay said.
“One high school youth team contributed greatly to those numbers,” Clay said, but did not elaborate. She also lamented that there have been a lot of large groups seen gathering in restaurants and other locations recently.
On the positive side, more and more people are getting vaccinated, Clay noted, although she cautioned that the vaccine “is not a get-out-of-jail-free card.”
She said that she understands that everyone is frustrated and tired of the restrictions. “But the way to shorten this is to hang in there with masks and social distancing,” she said.
Clay noted that the town’s final vaccination clinic will be held on Friday, March 19, which will provide second shots to previously vaccinated residents. Unless the state reverses its decision to move away from municipal Health Departments and toward regional vaccination sites, that will be the last local COVID clinic held at the former Comverse/American Mutual building at 200 Quannapowitt Parkway.
The Health Department is finishing up vaccinations for Housing Authority tenants, Clay said and is continuing to vaccinate homebound residents. She encouraged homebound residents interested in the vaccine to call the Health Department if they have not yet been contacted about receiving the vaccine.
She anticipated that over the next few weeks the Health Department will have finished administering second shots for those who attended local clinics and will complete vaccinating Housing Authority tenants and homebound residents.
Town Administrator Stephen P. Maio commended Clay and the team that was assembled for the town’s vaccination clinics.
“They did a fantastic job,” Maio said.
Town Council chair Ann Santos read a letter from a couple who attended one of the clinics at the head of the Lake, who said that they were impressed by the skill and the hospitality offered by all at the clinic.
Town Councilor Edward Dombroski also commended the Health Department for their work at the local clinics.
He also wanted to make local businesses aware of the taxable status of forgiven Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) loans.
Ordinarily, a forgiven loan qualifies as income. However, Congress chose to exempt forgiven PPP loans from federal income taxation. Many states, however, remain on track to tax them by either treating forgiven loans as taxable income, denying the deduction for expenses paid for using forgiven loans, or both.
Dombroski wanted local businesses who are beginning to prepare their corporate taxes to be aware that as of now, Massachusetts has not made a decision to forgo state taxes on these forgiven loans, although the matter is currently being discussed on Beacon Hill.
