As of 6PM today [1], the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is
reporting 19 newly reported confirmed deaths (11 more than yesterday - up 137.5%) for a total of 9,342 deaths, 509 newly reported confirmed cases (55 more than yesterday - up 12.1%) for a total of 133,868 cases, and 16,134 new patients tested by molecular tests (3,349 more than yesterday - up 26.2%) for a total of 2,346,790 individuals tested. There were 61,703 new molecular tests reported (16,325 more than yesterday - up 36.0%) with a total of 4,478,131 molecular tests administered to date. The ratio of newly confirmed cases to individuals tested by molecular test is 3.2%, compared to 3.6% yesterday. The state also reported zero newly reported probable deaths (same as yesterday) for a total of 215 deaths, and 26 newly reported probable cases (15 less than yesterday - down 36.6%) for a total of 2,624 cases. The state also reported 286 patients tested by antibody tests (130 more than yesterday - up 83.3%) for a total of 121,906 patients, and 1,587 patients tested by antigen tests (408 less than yesterday - down 20.5%) for a total of 143,436 patients. Combining the confirmed and probable numbers gives 19 new deaths for a total of 9,557 and 535 new cases for a total of 136,492.
The seven day average number of newly confirmed cases per day is 587.9 compared to 477.9 last week (up 23.0%) and 384.0 two weeks ago (up 53.1%). The seven day average number of newly confirmed deaths per day is 14.3 compared to 15.3 last week (down 6.5%) and 14.1 two weeks ago (up 1.0%). The seven day average number of newly tested individuals per day is 16,084.0 compared to 15,480.3 last week (up 3.9%) and 18,454.0 two weeks ago (down 12.8%). The seven day average percentage of individuals coming back confirmed positive per day is 3.7% compared to 3.1% last week and 2.1% two weeks ago. (The above averages are calculated from today's
raw data download.)
Of the Commonwealth's four "key metrics" listed on page 2 of the report, the seven-day weighted average positive test rate is 1.1%, 43% above the lowest observed value of 0.8% on September 21. The three-day average number of COVID-19 patients in hospital is 494, 63% above the lowest observed value of 302 on August 29. The number of hospitals using surge capacity is 5, 5 above the lowest observed value of 0 on September 5. The three-day average number of COVID-19 deaths is 13, 36% above the lowest observed value of 9 on September 7.
Today being Wednesday, the state also released its
Weekly COVID - 19 Public Health Report. My town of Acton is listed as having 203 cases, with a two week case count of 8 new cases in the last fourteen days (higher than last week), a daily incidence rate of 2.4 new cases per day per 100k population in the last fourteen days and a risk color code of green. Acton is also listed as having 10,435 total tests, with 1,515 total tests and 11 positive tests in the last fourteen days, for a percent positive rate of 0.73% over the last fourteen days, which is higher than last week. The corresponding statewide numbers are 133,868 cases, with a two week case count of 7,166 new cases in the last fourteen days (higher than last week), a daily incidence rate of 7.3 new cases per day per 100k population in the last fourteen days and a risk color code of yellow. The state is also listed as having 4,478,131 total tests, with 817,884 total tests and 8,471 positive tests in the last fourteen days, for a percent positive rate of 1.04% over the last fourteen days, which is higher than last week.
Of the 351 cities and towns in the commonwealth, 185 are coded gray (less than 5 total reported cases in the last 14 days), 48 are coded green (less than 4.0 daily cases per 100k population), and 78 are coded yellow (4.0 to 8.0 daily cases per 100k population). The remaining 40 cities/towns are coded red (high-risk; more than 8.0 daily cases per 100k population): Acushnet, Amherst, Attleboro, Avon, Boston, Brockton, Chelmsford, Chelsea, Dartmouth, Dracut, Dudley, Everett, Framingham, Haverhill, Holyoke, Hudson, Kingston, Lawrence, Leicester, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Marlborough, Methuen, Middleton, Nantucket, New Bedford, North Andover, Plymouth, Randolph, Revere, Southborough, Southbridge, Springfield, Sunderland, Waltham, Webster, Winthrop, Woburn, and Worcester.
Holy
SHIT, this is ungood. The day-to-day numbers aren't completely awful - confirmed deaths and cases are both up, but the number of newly tested people is up even more, as is the number of total tests - so the percent-positive is actually down a bit. However, the seven-day average number of new cases continues its inexorable upward climb, as does the average percentage of people testing positive, and as do three of the four state "key metrics". The weekly report is even worse.
Forty cities and towns with more than eight cases per 100k! (That's seventeen more than last week.) A statewide daily incidence rate of 7.3 cases per 100k! (Way above the
six cases per 100k limit for "lower-risk states" from which one need not quarantine oneself if travelling to Massachusetts.)
In an article in today's paper (which, obviously, came out before today's reports), the Boston Globe reports that
state officials are avoiding the question of how bad is too bad:
( Read more... )This just isn't good. At all.
As of 9:15AM this morning, the town of Acton is
reporting 212 cumulative cases of COVID-19 in town with 3 individuals in isolation, 188 recovered and 21 fatalities; that's five more cases, two fewer persons currently in isolation, and seven more persons recovered compared to the previous report on
September 28. It is good to see that no new deaths from COVID-19 have occurred in town since May 21, unlike most of the rest of the COVID-19 news today.
[1] Well, more like 6:45PM,
due to unexplained delays.![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}