These 28 Mass. communities have the highest rates of COVID-19
The number of cities and towns in the red zone continues to drop.
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Just 28 Massachusetts communities have the highest-risk designation for COVID-19 transmission this week, a drop from the 66 that made the red-zone list last week, according to newly released state data.
That’s a decrease of 38 communities, or 57 percent.
The latest data falls in line with the continued decrease in case rates in Massachusetts cities and towns. Two weeks ago, there were 110 communities in the red zone.
The state’s average daily case rate also continues to drop compared to prior weeks. This week, it’s 23.3 per 100,000 residents on average for the past two weeks. Last week, it was 30 per 100,000 residents.
A community receives a red-zone designation based on a few factors. Small communities with under 10,000 residents are placed in the red zone if they have more than 25 cases total over the last two weeks, according to the state. For communities between 10,000 and 50,000 people, a red-zone designation is given if the community has 10 or more average cases per 100,000 residents and if the positivity rate is greater than or equal to 5 percent. For communities over 50,000, they need 10 or more cases per 100,000 residents and a positivity rate of 4 percent or higher.
Here’s a look at each community in the red zone, listed alphabetically:
- Acushnet
- Ashburnham
- Blackstone
- Brockton
- Chicopee
- Cohasset
- Fall River
- Freetown
- Haverhill
- Lakeville
- Lawrence
- Lowell
- Lynn
- Methuen
- Middleborough
- New Bedford
- Peabody
- Plymouth
- Revere
- Rutland
- Southampton
- Southbridge
- Springfield
- Taunton
- Templeton
- West Bridgewater
- Westminster
- Weymouth
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