MA Town-By-Town Coronavirus Stats: Positive Rate Falls To 2%

MASSACHUSETTS — Massachusetts reported declines across all coronavirus metrics Thursday, with the positive test rate falling to 2.00 percent.

The Department of Public Health labeled 48 communities as high risk for the coronavirus, down from 59 in the previous report. The full list of high-risk communities is available at the end of this article.

The seven-day average positive test rate for the state fell from 2.33 percent last week to 2 percent. The weekly average case rate, hospitalization and death rate also fell.

The state reported 1,431 coronavirus cases, 17 deaths and 94,047 vaccine doses Thursday.

The latest vaccine report shows the number of residents who are fully vaccinated has risen to 2.2 million. Another 1 million have received one dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine.

Of the 6.5 million doses the state has received, 83.5 percent have been administered.

The seven-day average number of hospitalized patients was 693, down from 708 a week prior. There were 158 patients in intensive care.

The positive test rate over the last two weeks fell in 202 — or 57.6 percent — of the 351 communities in the state. The rate rose in 93 — or 26.5 percent — of communities and held steady in the remaining 56. Two-week confirmed case counts rose in 97 communities.

There were 24.7 average daily cases per 100,000 residents of the state over that period, down from 27.4 last week.

To date, there have been 636,476 cases and 17,168 deaths statewide since the pandemic began. Officials estimated there were 31,215 active cases as of Thursday.

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Health officials say positive coronavirus test results need to stay below 5 percent for two weeks or longer and, preferably, be closer to 2 percent, for states to safely ease restrictions. The number of communities reporting rates above 5 percent fell from 58 to 46.

The state reported 102,071 new tests Thursday, bringing the total to 20.7 million.

The data includes coronavirus cases for all Massachusetts communities, except for those with populations under 50,000 and 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.

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

The map does not include 1,181 of the state's cases because state health officials could not determine which communities the patients lived in.

Pin colors correspond to the state's risk designations. Red pins are high-risk, or red, communities. Yellow pins are medium risk, green pins low risk and grey pins at most 15 total cases for communities over 50,000 people and 10 for smaller communities.

High-risk communities: Adams, Ayer, Bellingham, Berkley, Brewster, Brockton, Carver, Chicopee, Dennis, Dracut, Edgartown, Fall River, Freetown, Hampden, Harwich, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, Ludlow, Lynn, Methuen, Nantucket, New Bedford, Oak Bluffs, Palmer, Peabody, Plainville, Plymouth, Rehoboth, Revere, Seekonk, Southwick, Springfield, Sterling, Sutton, Swansea, Taunton, Templeton, Tisbury, Townsend, Upton, Wareham, West Boylston, West Bridgewater, Westport, Winchendon and Yarmouth.