17 Massachusetts cities and towns labeled high risk for coronavirus
The number of cities and towns labeled high risk for the coronavirus has more than doubled over the past two weeks, jumping up to 17 this week from 13 last week and eight the week prior, according to state data.
The 17 communities represent the highest number in the hot zone since the state Department of Public Health started reporting weekly data using a color-coded risk assessment system in August that shades high-risk communities in red.
Chelsea, Dedham, Everett, Framingham, Lawrence, Lynn, Lynnfield, Monson, New Bedford, Revere and Winthrop remained on the high-risk list for another week in a row, according to data released Wednesday.
Saugus returned to the list, joining Nantucket, Plainville, Tyngsboro, Worcester and Wrentham, while Chatham and Methuen dropped off. Communities in the red zone reported a daily average of eight or more COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents over the two-week period ending Saturday.
Nantucket officials wrote in a statement Friday that there had been a “September surge” including community transmission of the virus.
“We have regressed in our mission to quell the spread of COVID,” Select Board Chair Dawn Hill Holdgate wrote, advising residents of best practices for staying safe on the island.
The number of moderate-risk communities — those with four to eight cases per 100,000 residents — was 36 this week. Roughly 80 cities and towns were listed as low-risk, with less than four cases.
Public health officials reported 295 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday and 20 more deaths as the average positive test rate remained at the state’s record low of 0.8%.
The 20 new deaths bring the state’s confirmed COVID-19 toll to 9,036. The total number of confirmed and probable fatalities stands at 9,245.
The 295 new cases bring the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases to 123,720. Another 11 probable cases were reported Wednesday, for a combined confirmed and probable case total of 125,699.
The state also reported cumulative testing among colleges and universities for the first time this week, saying there have been 499 cumulative cases confirmed at the 59 schools doing testing on campus. Of those, 168 were reported since last week.
Overall, colleges and universities have conducted 518,904 tests for the novel virus and 532 have come back positive. Some 153,675 of those tests were conducted in the last week alone.
There are now more than 29.6 million cases of the novel coronavirus worldwide, with 6.6 million in the United States, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. The global death toll has topped 937,000, including more than 196,000 deaths in the U.S. More than 20 million people have recovered worldwide, including nearly 2.5 million Americans.
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3c67M61
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