MA Town-By-Town Coronavirus: Positive Rate Falls Statewide

MASSACHUSETTS — Coronavirus cases continued to increase in the vast majority of Massachusetts communities, according to the latest town-by-town report released by the Department of Public Health, but more recent statewide metrics show the omicron wave has peaked.

The positive test rate and case counts have both fallen, although hospitalizations and deaths, which trail cases, continue to rise.

Over 90 percent of communities reported rising positive test rates and cases relative to last week's report.

The seven-day average positive rate fell to 20.34 percent, down from the peak of 23 percent on Jan. 5, although it remains higher than at any other point since the initial wave in spring, 2020. The seven-day average case count is also down from its peak a week prior.

>>Has MA's COVID-19 Surge Peaked? Boston-Area Sewage Suggests 'Yes'

The Department of Public Health reported 18,721 new coronavirus cases, 36 deaths and 41,430 vaccine doses administered Thursday.

The seven-day average number of hospitalized patients was 2870.6, up from 2,184.8 a week prior. Over 3,000 people were hospitalized with the virus, as of Wednesday.

The weekly average case count was 13,313.7 daily cases, up from 4,415.6 a month prior but down from the peak of 22,824.1 on Jan. 8.

The weekly average positive-test rate fell from 23 percent to 20.34 percent over the last week.

There were 43.0 deaths per day over the last week, up from 38.9 a week ago.

Vaccines

The latest vaccine report shows the number of residents who are fully vaccinated has risen to 5.14 million. Another 793,541 residents have received one dose of the two-dose Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, the state said.

Booster doses have been given to 2.4 million residents.

Over three-quarters of the state's population, 75.4 percent, is fully vaccinated, but some communities lag behind, according to state data. Seven communities continue to report that fewer than half their residents are even partially vaccinated. Compare that with the more than 90 percent of residents fully vaccinated in 31 cities and towns, up five from last week's report.

In 81 communities, more than half of residents have received a booster shot.

Community-Level Data

How to use this map: Zoom in on the map below and click on a pin to see that community's coronavirus vaccination rates. You can also view the town-by-town coronavirus vaccination data in the spreadsheet we used to create this map.

Colors reflect the percentage of the population fully vaccinated, from under 50 percent, red, to more than 70 percent, green. The state did not report vaccination numbers for the one gray community. Some communities are grouped together for the purpose of vaccination data.

Note: For dozens of communities, up to 30 vaccinations may be missing from the data, as the state does not report totals for demographic subgroups with fewer than 30 vaccinated. No vaccination data is available for one community with a particularly low population: Gosnold.

The data also does not include 2,002 of the state's cases because state health officials could not determine which communities the patients lived in.

Other Key Coronavirus Metrics

Of 3,180 hospitalized patients, there were 484 patients in intensive care Wednesday, up 68 from a week prior.

The positive test rate over the last two weeks fell in 13 — or 3.7 percent — of the 351 communities in the state. The rate rose in 333 — or 94.9 percent — of the communities. It held steady in the remaining five. Over 95 percent of communities reported rising case counts.

All but three communities reported positive test rates higher than 2 percent during the past two weeks, including 177 with positive rates above 20 percent.

Statewide, there were 267.3 average daily cases per 100,000 residents over the last two weeks, up from 151.7 in last week's report.

To date, there have been 1,305,830 cases and 20,386 deaths statewide since the pandemic began.

Did you find this article useful? Invite a friend to subscribe to Patch.

The state reported 109,725 new tests Friday, bringing the total administered to 37.5 million.

The data includes coronavirus cases for all Massachusetts communities, except for those with populations under 50,000 and where there are fewer than five cases. The department said the stipulation was designed to protect the privacy of patients in those towns and cities.

The state releases town-by-town testing data every Thursday, including the number of people tested, the testing rate, the positive test rate, cases and infection rates.

Don't miss updates about precautions in your area as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

This article originally appeared on the Across Massachusetts Patch