One hundred and thirty Massachusetts cities and towns saw an increase in the percent positivity of new coronavirus infections over the last two week period, according to the latest community-level data released on Thursday.
From Oct. 4 to Oct. 17, there were 8,980 new COVID-19 cases across the state. Seventy-seven Massachusetts cities and towns are now considered high risk for COVID transmission, according to the state’s risk assessment map released Thursday.
The latest map upgrades 14 communities into the red category of risk, and is based on new daily cases reported between that two-week period.
The communities in the high risk category have seen greater than 8 new cases each day per 100,000 residents over a 14-day period. Officials have put asterisks in the report next to communities where there are cluster outbreaks identified in nursing homes, colleges or correctional facilities.
Those communities include: Abington, Acushnet, Ashland, Attleboro, Avon, Berkley, Boston, Boxford, Brockton, Buckland, Canton, Chelmsford, Chelsea, Chicopee, Clinton, East Longmeadow, Everett, Fairhaven, Fall River, Framingham, Gloucester, Hanover, Hanson, Haverhill, Hingham, Holliston, Holyoke, Hudson, Kingston, Lawrence, Leicester, Lowell, Lynn, Lynnfield, Malden, Marlborough, Marshfield, Mattapoisett, Methuen, Middleborough, Middleton, Milford, Millville, Milton, Monson, New Bedford, North Andover, Norwood, Oxford, Pembroke, Plymouth, Randolph, Raynham, Revere, Rochester, Rockland, Saugus, Scituate, Seekonk, Shrewsbury, Somerset, Somerville, Springfield, Swampscott, Tyngsborough, Wakefield, Waltham, Webster, West Bridgewater, West Newbury, Westfield, Westport, Weymouth, Winthrop, Woburn, Worcester and Wrentham.
State health officials confirmed 986 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. That’s based on 17,966 new molecular tests, according to the Department of Public Health.
Officials also confirmed 30 more COVID-related deaths on Thursday as infections and hospitalizations continue to rise. The seven-day average of positive tests remains elevated at 1.4% compared to a low of 0.8% in prior months. Hospitalizations, deaths and the number of hospitals using surge capacity is also up as of Thursday.
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