These 30 Mass. communities have the highest risk for COVID-19 infection this week
Last week there were 16 communities on the list.
This week, the list of communities at highest risk for COVID-19 infection has nearly doubled over last week.
And one of the communities has an average daily case rate in the triple digits.
Of the 30 communities on the list, up from 16 last week, Norfolk is at the top with an average daily incidence rate of 145.8 per 100,000 residents. That includes, however, an ongoing outbreak at MCI-Norfolk. The prison, with about 1,200 male inmates, has seen 172 test positive since it began more testing a couple weeks ago, WBUR reports; three of those ill inmates were in the hospital. The outbreak at Norfolk comes as U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins have called on Gov. Charlie Baker to decarcerate some inmates in an effort to stop the spread.
“We cannot pick and choose who among us is deserving of being saved but, instead, we must prioritize the safety and wellbeing of as many people as possible,” Pressley and Rollins said in their letter.
Baker maintains that the state Department of Correction has handled the pandemic well.
“They’ve done a terrific job of keeping prisoners and inmates separated, providing them with PPE, sanitization, all that sort of stuff, instructions and guidance about how to avoid spreading the virus,” he said, according to WBUR.
This is the second week for the state using updated calculations for its individual community data. The new metrics have allowed many communities formerly deemed high risk to drop into a lower-risk category.
Here’s a look at each of the state’s highest-risk communities with average daily case rates, and other metrics, calculated for the last 14 days:
1. Norfolk
Average daily incidence rate: 145.8 per 100,000
Case count: 255
Tests conducted: 2,207
Positive tests: 256
Positivity rate: 11.6 percent
2. Lawrence
Average daily incidence rate: 82.6 per 100,000
Case count: 1,014
Tests conducted: 11,253
Positive tests: 1,326
Positivity rate: 11.78 percent
3. Marion
Average daily incidence rate: 66.8 per 100,000
Case count: 43
Tests conducted: 1,698
Positive tests: 50
Positivity rate: 2.94 percent
4. Fall River
Average daily incidence rate: 62.5 per 100,000
Case count: 782
Tests conducted: 10,480
Positive tests: 931
Positivity rate: 8.88 percent
5. Chelsea
Average daily incidence rate: 57.8 per 100,000
Case count: 299
Tests conducted: 5,606
Positive tests: 354
Positivity rate: 6.31 percent
6. Tisbury
Average daily incidence rate: 51.3 per 100,000
Case count: 30
Tests conducted: 816
Positive tests: 33
Positivity rate: 4.04 percent
7. Fitchburg
Average daily incidence rate: 48.5 per 100,000
Case count: 286
Tests conducted: 4,642
Positive tests: 321
Positivity rate: 6.92 percent
8. Revere (tie)
Average daily incidence rate: 47.7 per 100,000
Case count: 406
Tests conducted: 8,094
Positive tests: 538
Positivity rate: 6.65 percent
8. Everett (tie)
Average daily incidence rate: 47.7 per 100,000
Case count: 324
Tests conducted: 5,676
Positive tests: 387
Positivity rate: 6.82 percent
10. Somerset
Average daily incidence rate: 47.1 per 100,000
Case count: 122
Tests conducted:
Positive tests: 2,037
Positivity rate: 6.63 percent
11. Holyoke
Average daily incidence rate: 45.3 per 100,000
Case count: 258
Tests conducted: 4,906
Positive tests: 298
Positivity rate: 6.07 percent
12. Leominster (tie)
Average daily incidence rate: 45.1 per 100,000
Case count: 255
Tests conducted: 4,710
Positive tests: 273
Positivity rate: 5.8 percent
12. Lynn (tie)
Average daily incidence rate: 45.1 per 100,000
Case count: 636
Tests conducted: 9,870
Positive tests: 738
Positivity rate: 7.48 percent
14. Westport
Average daily incidence rate: 44.8 per 100,000
Case count: 105
Tests conducted: 1,466
Positive tests: 122
Positivity rate: 8.32 percent
15. Lowell
Average daily incidence rate: 42.1 per 100,000
Case count: 685
Tests conducted: 11,730
Positive tests: 757
Positivity rate: 6.45 percent
16. Swansea
Average daily incidence rate: 37.6 per 100,000
Case count: 84
Tests conducted: 1,701
Positive tests: 90
Positivity rate: 5.29 percent
17. Methuen
Average daily incidence rate: 37.1 per 100,000
Case count: 280
Tests conducted: 5,864
Positive tests: 354
Positivity rate: 6.04 percent
18. Uxbridge
Average daily incidence rate: 36.1 per 100,000
Case count: 79
Tests conducted: 1,231
Positive tests: 80
Positivity rate: 6.5 percent
19. Shirley
Average daily incidence rate: 36 per 100,000
Case count: 43
Tests conducted: 692
Positive tests: 47
Positivity rate: 6.79 percent20. SpringfieldAverage daily incidence rate: 35.2 per 100,000
Case count: 770
Tests conducted: 18,161
Positive tests: 959
Positivity rate: 5.28 percent
21. Seekonk
Average daily incidence rate: 31.1 per 100,000
Case count: 61
Tests conducted: 1,113
Positive tests: 68
Positivity rate: 6.11 percent
22. Milford
Average daily incidence rate: 30.7 per 100,000
Case count: 126
Tests conducted: 2,357
Positive tests: 138
Positivity rate: 5.85 percent
23. New Bedford
Average daily incidence rate: 29.9 per 100,000
Case count: 419
Tests conducted: 8,198
Positive tests: 506
Positivity rate: 6.17 percent
24. Dighton
Average daily incidence rate: 29.7 per 100,000
Case count: 33
Tests conducted: 660
Positive tests: 37
Positivity rate: 5.61 percent
25. Clinton
Average daily incidence rate: 29.4 per 100,000
Case count: 58
Tests conducted: 1,211
Positive tests: 71
Positivity rate: 5.86 percent
26. West Springfield
Average daily incidence rate: 28.7 per 100,000
Case count: 117
Tests conducted: 2,557
Positive tests: 138
Positivity rate: 5.4 percent
27. Brockton
Average daily incidence rate: 25.6 per 100,000
Case count: 355
Tests conducted: 8,887
Positive tests: 411
Positivity rate: 4.62 percent
28. Chicopee (tie)
Average daily incidence rate: 25.3 per 100,000
Case count: 201
Tests conducted: 5,219
Positive tests: 235
Positivity rate: 4.5 percent
28. Freetown (tie)
Average daily incidence rate: 25.3 per 100,000
Case count: 32
Tests conducted: 792
Positive tests: 33
Positivity rate: 4.17 percent
30. Plainville
Average daily incidence rate: 20.2 per 100,000
Case count: 26
Tests conducted: 831
Positive tests: 29
Positivity rate: 3.29 percentHere’s all of the state’s data:
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