Worcester County's COVID-19 cases fall 7.5%; Massachusetts cases fall 4.9%

Massachusetts reported 9,341 new cases of the coronavirus in the week ending Sunday, down 4.9% from the previous week, when 9,826 new cases were reported.

Massachusetts ranked 36th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows.

Last week, coronavirus cases in the United States decreased 14.2% from the week before, with 509,903 cases reported. With 2.07% of the country's population, Massachusetts had 1.83% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 11 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

Worcester County reported 1,453 cases and 18 deaths last week. A week earlier, it had reported 1,571 cases and 16 deaths. Throughout the pandemic, it has reported 94,820 cases and 2,402 deaths.

Throughout Massachusetts, cases fell in nine counties, with the sharpest declines in Hampden County (670 cases, down from 796 a week earlier); in Worcester County (1,453 cases, down from 1,571); and in Bristol County (920 cases, down from 1,028).

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

Massachusetts was first in share of people receiving at least one shot, at 79.5%. The national rate is 66.4%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are the most used in the United States, require two doses administered a few weeks apart.

In the week ending Sunday, Massachusetts reported administering another 130,627 vaccine doses, including 43,803 first doses. In the previous week, the state administered 139,263 vaccine doses, including 41,144 first doses. In all, Massachusetts reported it has administered 10,245,452 total doses.

Within Massachusetts, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Berkshire County, with 176 cases per 100,000 per week; Worcester County (175); and Bristol County (163). The CDC says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.

Adding the most new cases overall were Middlesex County, with 1,753; Worcester County (1,453 cases); and Essex County (1,075). Weekly case counts rose in three counties from the previous week. The sharpest increases from the prior week's pace occurred in Middlesex, Berkshire and Plymouth counties.

In Massachusetts, 83 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 82 people were reported dead.

A total of 842,652 people in Massachusetts have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 18,911 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins data shows. Throughout the United States, 45,444,260 people have tested positive and 735,941 people have died.

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday.

Likely COVID-19 patients admitted in the state:

• Last week: 865
• The week before that: 906
• Four weeks ago: 912

Likely COVID-19 patients admitted in the nation:

• Last week: 75,101
• The week before that: 78,803
• Four weeks ago: 100,136