Local COVID-19 updates
Sep. 29th, 2022 05:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
edschweppeAs of 5PM today (Thursday September 29, 2022), the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is reporting 41 newly reported confirmed deaths (4 less than last Thursday - down 8.9%) for a total of 20,292 deaths, 9,047 newly reported confirmed cases (44 less than last Thursday - down 0.5%) for a total of 1,878,650 cases, and 125,275 newly reported molecular tests (3,317 less than last Thursday - down 2.6%). Note that today's death data covers 7 days. Averaged over that period, there were 5.9 newly reported deaths per day (39 less than last Thursday - down 87.0%).
Note that today's case/test data covers 7 days. Averaged over that period, there were 1,292.4 newly reported cases per day (7,799 less than last Thursday - down 85.8%), and 17,896.4 newly reported molecular tests per day (110,696 less than last Thursday - down 86.1%).
Note that last Thursday's death data covers 7 days. Averaged over that period, there were 6.4 newly reported deaths per day and today's newly reported deaths are 35 more than last Thursday's values - up 537.8%.
Note that last Thursday's case/test data covers 7 days. Averaged over that period, there were 1,298.7 newly reported cases per day and today's newly reported cases are 7,748 more than last Thursday's values - up 596.6%. There were 18,370.3 newly reported molecular tests per day and today's newly reported tests are 106,905 more than last Thursday's values - up 581.9%.
The seven day average positivity rate is 7.71%, compared to 7.48% last Thursday. The state also reported 19 newly reported probable deaths (6 more than last Thursday - up 46.2%) for a total of 1,414 and 1,293 newly reported probable cases (117 more than last Thursday - up 9.9%) for a total of 172,292. Combining the confirmed and probable numbers gives 60 new deaths for a total of 21,706 and 10,340 new cases for a total of 2,050,942. There were 694 COVID-19 patients in hospital (104 more than last Thursday - up 17.6%), 48 COVID-19 patients in ICUs (2 less than last Thursday - down 4.0%) and 13 COVID-19 patients on ventilators (intubated) (2 more than last Thursday - up 18.2%).
Of the four overview trends (formerly the Page 2 "key metrics"), the 7-day average of newly confirmed cases is 1,000.0 (13 less than last Thursday - down 1.3%), 1,462% above the lowest observed value of 64.0 on 6/25/2021 and 96.0% below the highest observed value of 23,205.0 on 1/8/2022. The 7-day weighted average of positive molecular test rate is 7.71% (0 more than last Thursday - up 3.2%), 2,407% above the lowest observed value of 0.3% on 6/25/2021 and 72% below the highest observed value of 27.7% on 4/15/2020. The 7-day average number of COVID-19 patients in hospital is 667.0 (96 more than last Thursday - up 16.8%), 694% above the lowest observed value of 84.0 on 7/8/2021 and 83% below the highest observed value of 3,874.0 on 4/27/2020. The 7-day average number of COVID-19 deaths is 7.0 (1 more than last Thursday - up 16.7%), 600% above the lowest observed value of 1.0 on 7/10/2021 and 97% below the highest observed value of 176.0 on 4/24/2020.
Statewide, hospitals reported 8,812 non-ICU beds, of which 7,659 (86.9%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 646 (7.3%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 507 (5.8%) remained available. Hospitals also reported 1,186 ICU beds, of which 966 (81.5%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 48 (4.0%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 172 (14.5%) remained available. By comparison, hospitals reported last Thursday a total of 8,826 non-ICU beds, of which 7,734 (87.6%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 540 (6%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 552 (6.3%) remained available. Hospitals also reported last Thursday a total of 1,200 ICU beds, of which 966 (80.5%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 50 (4.2%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 184 (15.3%) remained available.
One week ago (September 22), the 7 day confirmed case average was 1,013.0, the 7 day confirmed deaths average was 6.0, the 7 day hospitalization average was 571.0, and the 7 day weighted average positivity rate was 7.48%.
Two weeks ago (September 15), the 7 day confirmed case average was 920.0, the 7 day confirmed deaths average was 5.0, the 7 day hospitalization average was 569.0, and the 7 day weighted average positivity rate was 7.32%.
One year ago (September 29, 2021), the 7 day confirmed case average was 1,108.0, the 7 day confirmed deaths average was 11.0, the 7 day hospitalization average was 615.0, and the 7 day weighted average positivity rate was 1.97%.
Today being Thursday, the state also included city/town specific information in the daily download. My town of Acton is listed as having 3,871 total cases, with a two-week case count of 57 cases, a daily incidence rate of 16.9 which is higher than last week, with a corresponding risk color code of red (if the state was still reporting color codes). Acton is also listed as having 108,971 total tests, with a two-week total test count of 699 and a two-week positive test count of 60, for a percent-positive rate of 8.58 which is higher than last week. The corresponding statewide figures are 1,877,031 total cases, with a two-week case count of 17,793 cases, a daily incidence rate of 18.1 which is higher than last week. Massachusetts is also listed as having 47,636,743 total tests, with a two-week total test count of 252,437 and a two-week positive test count of 19,376, for a percent-positive rate of 7.68 which is higher than last week.
As of July 1, 2021, the state is no longer reporting risk color codes. However, if it was, of the 351 cites and towns in the Commonwealth, 107 would be coded gray (compared to 110 last week), 28 would be coded green (compared to 43 last week), and 40 would be coded yellow (compared to 43 last week).The remaining 176 towns would be coded red (compared to 155 last week): Abington, Acton, Acushnet, Adams, Agawam, Amesbury, Amherst, Andover, Ashland, Athol, Attleboro, Auburn, Barnstable, Bedford, Belchertown, Bellingham, Belmont, Beverly, Billerica, Boston, Bourne, Braintree, Brewster, Bridgewater, Brockton, Brookline, Burlington, Cambridge, Carver, Charlton, Chelmsford, Chelsea, Chicopee, Clinton, Concord, Dalton, Danvers, Dartmouth, Dedham, Dennis, Dracut, Dudley, Duxbury, East Bridgewater, East Longmeadow, Easthampton, Easton, Everett, Fairhaven, Fall River, Falmouth, Fitchburg, Foxborough, Framingham, Franklin, Gardner, Gloucester, Grafton, Greenfield, Groton, Hanover, Hanson, Haverhill, Hingham, Holbrook, Holden, Holliston, Holyoke, Hopkinton, Hudson, Hull, Kingston, Lakeville, Lawrence, Leicester, Leominster, Lexington, Littleton, Longmeadow, Lowell, Ludlow, Lunenburg, Lynn, Lynnfield, Malden, Mansfield, Marblehead, Marlborough, Marshfield, Mashpee, Maynard, Medford, Melrose, Methuen, Middleborough, Milford, Millbury, Milton, Monson, Natick, New Bedford, Newburyport, Newton, North Adams, North Andover, North Attleborough, North Reading, Northborough, Northbridge, Norton, Norwell, Norwood, Oxford, Palmer, Peabody, Pembroke, Pittsfield, Plymouth, Quincy, Randolph, Raynham, Reading, Rehoboth, Revere, Rockland, Salem, Sandwich, Saugus, Scituate, Seekonk, Sharon, Shrewsbury, Somerset, Somerville, South Hadley, Southborough, Southbridge, Southwick, Spencer, Springfield, Stoneham, Stoughton, Sutton, Swampscott, Swansea, Taunton, Tewksbury, Tyngsborough, Uxbridge, Wakefield, Walpole, Waltham, Ware, Wareham, Watertown, Wayland, Webster, Wellesley, West Boylston, West Springfield, Westborough, Westfield, Westford, Westminster, Weston, Westport, Weymouth, Whitman, Wilbraham, Wilmington, Winchendon, Winchester, Winthrop, Woburn, Worcester, and Yarmouth.
24 cities/towns would be newly coded red this week (Amesbury, Athol, Belmont, Bridgewater, Brookline, Grafton, Groton, Hanover, Hingham, Lunenburg, Marshfield, Milton, Monson, Norwell, Randolph, Scituate, Sutton, Swansea, Watertown, Wellesley, West Boylston, Westminster, Weston, and Winchester) and 3 cities/towns would no longer be coded red this week (Canton, Medway, and Wrentham).
Of the 10 towns nearby (including my own town), 2 are coded gray (Boxborough, and Stow), 2 are coded green (Carlisle, and Sudbury), none are coded yellow, and 6 are coded red (Acton, Chelmsford, Concord, Littleton, Maynard, and Westford).
Of the 10 towns near my church, 5 are coded gray (Berlin, Bolton, Boxborough, Harvard, and Stow), one is coded green (Sudbury), none are coded yellow, and 4 are coded red (Acton, Hudson, Marlborough, and Maynard).
The daily raw data file used to create this report is available here.
As of September 28, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that, of 3222 counties nationwide, 2166 counties (67.23% of total) have a Community Transmission Level of High, 639 counties (19.83% of total) have a Community Transmission Level of Substantial, 291 counties (9.03% of total) have a Community Transmission Level of Moderate, and 126 counties (3.91% of total) have a Community Transmission Level of Low. The CDC also reported that, of the 14 counties in Massachusetts, 12 counties have a Community Transmission Level of High (Barnstable, Berkshire, Bristol, Essex, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, Worcester), 1 counties have a Community Transmission Level of Substantial (Nantucket), and 1 counties have a Community Transmission Level of Moderate (Dukes).
Barnstable County has 139.910 cases per 100k, 9.75 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of high
Berkshire County has 237.710 cases per 100k, 8.91 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of high
Bristol County has 128.800 cases per 100k, 10.38 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of high
Dukes County has suppressed cases per 100k, 4.09 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of moderate
Essex County has 129.530 cases per 100k, 7.22 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of high
Franklin County has 146.770 cases per 100k, 8.41 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of high
Hampden County has 186.330 cases per 100k, 9.73 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of high
Hampshire County has 256.790 cases per 100k, 4.38 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of high
Middlesex County has 122.540 cases per 100k, 7.22 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of high
Nantucket County has 96.500 cases per 100k, 4.26 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of substantial
Norfolk County has 102.720 cases per 100k, 7.09 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of high
Plymouth County has 102.650 cases per 100k, 8.75 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of high
Suffolk County has 124.390 cases per 100k, 7.0 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of high
Worcester County has 132.550 cases per 100k, 8.02 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of high
The underlying query for this data is available here.
As of September 29, 2022, the CDC reported COVID Community Levels for 3220 counties nationwide: 107 counties (3.32%, representing 1.58% of the population) with High community level, 737 counties (22.89%, representing 21.08% of the population) with Medium community level, and 2376 counties (73.79%, representing 77.34% of the population) with Low community level. The CDC also reported the following COVID Community Levels for the 14 counties in Massachusetts (population 6892503): 1 counties (representing 1.81% of the state's population) with High community level (Berkshire), 10 counties (representing 71.77% of the state's population) with Medium community level (Barnstable, Dukes, Franklin, Hampshire, Middlesex, Nantucket, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, Worcester), and 3 counties (representing 26.41% of the state's population) with Low community level (Bristol, Essex, Hampden).
Barnstable County (population 212990) has 139.91 cases per 100k (implying 297.99 cases in the county), 12.5 hospitalizations per 100k and 3.5 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of High and a community level of Medium.
Berkshire County (population 124944) has 237.71 cases per 100k (implying 297.00 cases in the county), 11.2 hospitalizations per 100k and 4.1 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of High and a community level of High.
Bristol County (population 565217) has 128.8 cases per 100k (implying 728.00 cases in the county), 9.4 hospitalizations per 100k and 4.7 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of High and a community level of Low.
Dukes County (population 17332) has 46.16 cases per 100k (implying 8.00 cases in the county), 12.5 hospitalizations per 100k and 3.5 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of Moderate and a community level of Medium.
Essex County (population 789034) has 129.53 cases per 100k (implying 1,022.04 cases in the county), 7.5 hospitalizations per 100k and 4.6 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of High and a community level of Low.
Franklin County (population 70180) has 146.77 cases per 100k (implying 103.00 cases in the county), 13.0 hospitalizations per 100k and 4.3 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of High and a community level of Medium.
Hampden County (population 466372) has 186.33 cases per 100k (implying 868.99 cases in the county), 8.1 hospitalizations per 100k and 6.4 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of High and a community level of Low.
Hampshire County (population 160830) has 256.79 cases per 100k (implying 413.00 cases in the county), 8.1 hospitalizations per 100k and 6.4 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of High and a community level of Medium.
Middlesex County (population 1611699) has 122.54 cases per 100k (implying 1,974.98 cases in the county), 12.5 hospitalizations per 100k and 3.5 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of High and a community level of Medium.
Nantucket County (population 11399) has 96.5 cases per 100k (implying 11.00 cases in the county), 12.5 hospitalizations per 100k and 3.5 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of Substantial and a community level of Medium.
Norfolk County (population 706775) has 102.72 cases per 100k (implying 726.00 cases in the county), 12.5 hospitalizations per 100k and 3.5 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of High and a community level of Medium.
Plymouth County (population 521202) has 102.65 cases per 100k (implying 535.01 cases in the county), 12.5 hospitalizations per 100k and 3.5 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of High and a community level of Medium.
Suffolk County (population 803907) has 124.39 cases per 100k (implying 999.98 cases in the county), 12.5 hospitalizations per 100k and 3.5 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of High and a community level of Medium.
Worcester County (population 830622) has 132.55 cases per 100k (implying 1,100.99 cases in the county), 13.0 hospitalizations per 100k and 4.3 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of High and a community level of Medium.
The CDC community level data implies a total of 9,085.98 cases statewide.
The underlying query for this data is available here.
(The town of Acton has stopped updating its COVID-19 Information Center and Google Data Studio dashboard.)
So ... there's actually a bit of good news from today's statewide numbers, in that both confirmed cases and confirmed deaths are down - slightly - compared to last week. On the other hand, hospitalizations are up a bunch, as are probable deaths and cases. And nine thousand plus cases a week really isn't anything to celebrate. Neither is the fact that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are now showing Berkshire County as having high COVID community level. (Per CDC guidance, everyone in counties with high community level should be masking in public indoor spaces and on public transportation. Not that I expect anyone in the state government to actually issue do something, like perhaps issue a mask mandate, in response to this.)
Frankly, I wasn't looking forward to today's numbers, given today's Boston Globe story about big jumps in wastewater coronavirus levels and confirmed COVID-19 cases among children and teenagers in Massachusetts:
Will those jumps in wastewater levels translate into even higher case counts in the next few weeks? At this point, damned if I know. Every time I think I know where this pandemic (or is it now just an epidemic?) is going, it goes somewhere else.
Note that today's case/test data covers 7 days. Averaged over that period, there were 1,292.4 newly reported cases per day (7,799 less than last Thursday - down 85.8%), and 17,896.4 newly reported molecular tests per day (110,696 less than last Thursday - down 86.1%).
Note that last Thursday's death data covers 7 days. Averaged over that period, there were 6.4 newly reported deaths per day and today's newly reported deaths are 35 more than last Thursday's values - up 537.8%.
Note that last Thursday's case/test data covers 7 days. Averaged over that period, there were 1,298.7 newly reported cases per day and today's newly reported cases are 7,748 more than last Thursday's values - up 596.6%. There were 18,370.3 newly reported molecular tests per day and today's newly reported tests are 106,905 more than last Thursday's values - up 581.9%.
The seven day average positivity rate is 7.71%, compared to 7.48% last Thursday. The state also reported 19 newly reported probable deaths (6 more than last Thursday - up 46.2%) for a total of 1,414 and 1,293 newly reported probable cases (117 more than last Thursday - up 9.9%) for a total of 172,292. Combining the confirmed and probable numbers gives 60 new deaths for a total of 21,706 and 10,340 new cases for a total of 2,050,942. There were 694 COVID-19 patients in hospital (104 more than last Thursday - up 17.6%), 48 COVID-19 patients in ICUs (2 less than last Thursday - down 4.0%) and 13 COVID-19 patients on ventilators (intubated) (2 more than last Thursday - up 18.2%).
Of the four overview trends (formerly the Page 2 "key metrics"), the 7-day average of newly confirmed cases is 1,000.0 (13 less than last Thursday - down 1.3%), 1,462% above the lowest observed value of 64.0 on 6/25/2021 and 96.0% below the highest observed value of 23,205.0 on 1/8/2022. The 7-day weighted average of positive molecular test rate is 7.71% (0 more than last Thursday - up 3.2%), 2,407% above the lowest observed value of 0.3% on 6/25/2021 and 72% below the highest observed value of 27.7% on 4/15/2020. The 7-day average number of COVID-19 patients in hospital is 667.0 (96 more than last Thursday - up 16.8%), 694% above the lowest observed value of 84.0 on 7/8/2021 and 83% below the highest observed value of 3,874.0 on 4/27/2020. The 7-day average number of COVID-19 deaths is 7.0 (1 more than last Thursday - up 16.7%), 600% above the lowest observed value of 1.0 on 7/10/2021 and 97% below the highest observed value of 176.0 on 4/24/2020.
Statewide, hospitals reported 8,812 non-ICU beds, of which 7,659 (86.9%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 646 (7.3%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 507 (5.8%) remained available. Hospitals also reported 1,186 ICU beds, of which 966 (81.5%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 48 (4.0%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 172 (14.5%) remained available. By comparison, hospitals reported last Thursday a total of 8,826 non-ICU beds, of which 7,734 (87.6%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 540 (6%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 552 (6.3%) remained available. Hospitals also reported last Thursday a total of 1,200 ICU beds, of which 966 (80.5%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 50 (4.2%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 184 (15.3%) remained available.
One week ago (September 22), the 7 day confirmed case average was 1,013.0, the 7 day confirmed deaths average was 6.0, the 7 day hospitalization average was 571.0, and the 7 day weighted average positivity rate was 7.48%.
Two weeks ago (September 15), the 7 day confirmed case average was 920.0, the 7 day confirmed deaths average was 5.0, the 7 day hospitalization average was 569.0, and the 7 day weighted average positivity rate was 7.32%.
One year ago (September 29, 2021), the 7 day confirmed case average was 1,108.0, the 7 day confirmed deaths average was 11.0, the 7 day hospitalization average was 615.0, and the 7 day weighted average positivity rate was 1.97%.
Today being Thursday, the state also included city/town specific information in the daily download. My town of Acton is listed as having 3,871 total cases, with a two-week case count of 57 cases, a daily incidence rate of 16.9 which is higher than last week, with a corresponding risk color code of red (if the state was still reporting color codes). Acton is also listed as having 108,971 total tests, with a two-week total test count of 699 and a two-week positive test count of 60, for a percent-positive rate of 8.58 which is higher than last week. The corresponding statewide figures are 1,877,031 total cases, with a two-week case count of 17,793 cases, a daily incidence rate of 18.1 which is higher than last week. Massachusetts is also listed as having 47,636,743 total tests, with a two-week total test count of 252,437 and a two-week positive test count of 19,376, for a percent-positive rate of 7.68 which is higher than last week.
As of July 1, 2021, the state is no longer reporting risk color codes. However, if it was, of the 351 cites and towns in the Commonwealth, 107 would be coded gray (compared to 110 last week), 28 would be coded green (compared to 43 last week), and 40 would be coded yellow (compared to 43 last week).The remaining 176 towns would be coded red (compared to 155 last week): Abington, Acton, Acushnet, Adams, Agawam, Amesbury, Amherst, Andover, Ashland, Athol, Attleboro, Auburn, Barnstable, Bedford, Belchertown, Bellingham, Belmont, Beverly, Billerica, Boston, Bourne, Braintree, Brewster, Bridgewater, Brockton, Brookline, Burlington, Cambridge, Carver, Charlton, Chelmsford, Chelsea, Chicopee, Clinton, Concord, Dalton, Danvers, Dartmouth, Dedham, Dennis, Dracut, Dudley, Duxbury, East Bridgewater, East Longmeadow, Easthampton, Easton, Everett, Fairhaven, Fall River, Falmouth, Fitchburg, Foxborough, Framingham, Franklin, Gardner, Gloucester, Grafton, Greenfield, Groton, Hanover, Hanson, Haverhill, Hingham, Holbrook, Holden, Holliston, Holyoke, Hopkinton, Hudson, Hull, Kingston, Lakeville, Lawrence, Leicester, Leominster, Lexington, Littleton, Longmeadow, Lowell, Ludlow, Lunenburg, Lynn, Lynnfield, Malden, Mansfield, Marblehead, Marlborough, Marshfield, Mashpee, Maynard, Medford, Melrose, Methuen, Middleborough, Milford, Millbury, Milton, Monson, Natick, New Bedford, Newburyport, Newton, North Adams, North Andover, North Attleborough, North Reading, Northborough, Northbridge, Norton, Norwell, Norwood, Oxford, Palmer, Peabody, Pembroke, Pittsfield, Plymouth, Quincy, Randolph, Raynham, Reading, Rehoboth, Revere, Rockland, Salem, Sandwich, Saugus, Scituate, Seekonk, Sharon, Shrewsbury, Somerset, Somerville, South Hadley, Southborough, Southbridge, Southwick, Spencer, Springfield, Stoneham, Stoughton, Sutton, Swampscott, Swansea, Taunton, Tewksbury, Tyngsborough, Uxbridge, Wakefield, Walpole, Waltham, Ware, Wareham, Watertown, Wayland, Webster, Wellesley, West Boylston, West Springfield, Westborough, Westfield, Westford, Westminster, Weston, Westport, Weymouth, Whitman, Wilbraham, Wilmington, Winchendon, Winchester, Winthrop, Woburn, Worcester, and Yarmouth.
24 cities/towns would be newly coded red this week (Amesbury, Athol, Belmont, Bridgewater, Brookline, Grafton, Groton, Hanover, Hingham, Lunenburg, Marshfield, Milton, Monson, Norwell, Randolph, Scituate, Sutton, Swansea, Watertown, Wellesley, West Boylston, Westminster, Weston, and Winchester) and 3 cities/towns would no longer be coded red this week (Canton, Medway, and Wrentham).
Of the 10 towns nearby (including my own town), 2 are coded gray (Boxborough, and Stow), 2 are coded green (Carlisle, and Sudbury), none are coded yellow, and 6 are coded red (Acton, Chelmsford, Concord, Littleton, Maynard, and Westford).
Of the 10 towns near my church, 5 are coded gray (Berlin, Bolton, Boxborough, Harvard, and Stow), one is coded green (Sudbury), none are coded yellow, and 4 are coded red (Acton, Hudson, Marlborough, and Maynard).
The daily raw data file used to create this report is available here.
As of September 28, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that, of 3222 counties nationwide, 2166 counties (67.23% of total) have a Community Transmission Level of High, 639 counties (19.83% of total) have a Community Transmission Level of Substantial, 291 counties (9.03% of total) have a Community Transmission Level of Moderate, and 126 counties (3.91% of total) have a Community Transmission Level of Low. The CDC also reported that, of the 14 counties in Massachusetts, 12 counties have a Community Transmission Level of High (Barnstable, Berkshire, Bristol, Essex, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, Worcester), 1 counties have a Community Transmission Level of Substantial (Nantucket), and 1 counties have a Community Transmission Level of Moderate (Dukes).
Barnstable County has 139.910 cases per 100k, 9.75 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of high
Berkshire County has 237.710 cases per 100k, 8.91 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of high
Bristol County has 128.800 cases per 100k, 10.38 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of high
Dukes County has suppressed cases per 100k, 4.09 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of moderate
Essex County has 129.530 cases per 100k, 7.22 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of high
Franklin County has 146.770 cases per 100k, 8.41 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of high
Hampden County has 186.330 cases per 100k, 9.73 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of high
Hampshire County has 256.790 cases per 100k, 4.38 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of high
Middlesex County has 122.540 cases per 100k, 7.22 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of high
Nantucket County has 96.500 cases per 100k, 4.26 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of substantial
Norfolk County has 102.720 cases per 100k, 7.09 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of high
Plymouth County has 102.650 cases per 100k, 8.75 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of high
Suffolk County has 124.390 cases per 100k, 7.0 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of high
Worcester County has 132.550 cases per 100k, 8.02 percent positive, and a Community Transmission level of high
The underlying query for this data is available here.
As of September 29, 2022, the CDC reported COVID Community Levels for 3220 counties nationwide: 107 counties (3.32%, representing 1.58% of the population) with High community level, 737 counties (22.89%, representing 21.08% of the population) with Medium community level, and 2376 counties (73.79%, representing 77.34% of the population) with Low community level. The CDC also reported the following COVID Community Levels for the 14 counties in Massachusetts (population 6892503): 1 counties (representing 1.81% of the state's population) with High community level (Berkshire), 10 counties (representing 71.77% of the state's population) with Medium community level (Barnstable, Dukes, Franklin, Hampshire, Middlesex, Nantucket, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, Worcester), and 3 counties (representing 26.41% of the state's population) with Low community level (Bristol, Essex, Hampden).
Barnstable County (population 212990) has 139.91 cases per 100k (implying 297.99 cases in the county), 12.5 hospitalizations per 100k and 3.5 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of High and a community level of Medium.
Berkshire County (population 124944) has 237.71 cases per 100k (implying 297.00 cases in the county), 11.2 hospitalizations per 100k and 4.1 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of High and a community level of High.
Bristol County (population 565217) has 128.8 cases per 100k (implying 728.00 cases in the county), 9.4 hospitalizations per 100k and 4.7 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of High and a community level of Low.
Dukes County (population 17332) has 46.16 cases per 100k (implying 8.00 cases in the county), 12.5 hospitalizations per 100k and 3.5 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of Moderate and a community level of Medium.
Essex County (population 789034) has 129.53 cases per 100k (implying 1,022.04 cases in the county), 7.5 hospitalizations per 100k and 4.6 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of High and a community level of Low.
Franklin County (population 70180) has 146.77 cases per 100k (implying 103.00 cases in the county), 13.0 hospitalizations per 100k and 4.3 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of High and a community level of Medium.
Hampden County (population 466372) has 186.33 cases per 100k (implying 868.99 cases in the county), 8.1 hospitalizations per 100k and 6.4 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of High and a community level of Low.
Hampshire County (population 160830) has 256.79 cases per 100k (implying 413.00 cases in the county), 8.1 hospitalizations per 100k and 6.4 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of High and a community level of Medium.
Middlesex County (population 1611699) has 122.54 cases per 100k (implying 1,974.98 cases in the county), 12.5 hospitalizations per 100k and 3.5 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of High and a community level of Medium.
Nantucket County (population 11399) has 96.5 cases per 100k (implying 11.00 cases in the county), 12.5 hospitalizations per 100k and 3.5 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of Substantial and a community level of Medium.
Norfolk County (population 706775) has 102.72 cases per 100k (implying 726.00 cases in the county), 12.5 hospitalizations per 100k and 3.5 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of High and a community level of Medium.
Plymouth County (population 521202) has 102.65 cases per 100k (implying 535.01 cases in the county), 12.5 hospitalizations per 100k and 3.5 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of High and a community level of Medium.
Suffolk County (population 803907) has 124.39 cases per 100k (implying 999.98 cases in the county), 12.5 hospitalizations per 100k and 3.5 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of High and a community level of Medium.
Worcester County (population 830622) has 132.55 cases per 100k (implying 1,100.99 cases in the county), 13.0 hospitalizations per 100k and 4.3 COVID bed utilization, for a community transmission level of High and a community level of Medium.
The CDC community level data implies a total of 9,085.98 cases statewide.
The underlying query for this data is available here.
(The town of Acton has stopped updating its COVID-19 Information Center and Google Data Studio dashboard.)
So ... there's actually a bit of good news from today's statewide numbers, in that both confirmed cases and confirmed deaths are down - slightly - compared to last week. On the other hand, hospitalizations are up a bunch, as are probable deaths and cases. And nine thousand plus cases a week really isn't anything to celebrate. Neither is the fact that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are now showing Berkshire County as having high COVID community level. (Per CDC guidance, everyone in counties with high community level should be masking in public indoor spaces and on public transportation. Not that I expect anyone in the state government to actually issue do something, like perhaps issue a mask mandate, in response to this.)
Frankly, I wasn't looking forward to today's numbers, given today's Boston Globe story about big jumps in wastewater coronavirus levels and confirmed COVID-19 cases among children and teenagers in Massachusetts:
The number of COVID-19 cases among children and teenagers in the state has risen sharply, with 10- to 19-year-olds seeing a nearly 60 percent jump in in a report last week from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
At the same time, levels of coronavirus detected in Eastern Massachusetts waste water also have shot up in recent days, suggesting infections are on the rise in the region.
Experts said the latest COVID figures among youths likely reflected the effect of students going back to school and spreading the virus to each other.
The start of school leads to "a lot more social mixing. The last couple of falls we've definitely seen a big spike when schools started up. Some of that is certainly what we're seeing now," said Andrew Lover, an assistant professor of epidemiology in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Though the percentage increase is high, the case numbers are relatively low. The number of confirmed cases over a two-week period among 10- to 19-year-olds increased from 1,191 to 1,901, the highest number since early June.
Children ages 0 to 9 saw a smaller increase in cases: 15.1 percent. Within that number, though, there were two different stories: an 8.7 percent increase among children ages 0 to 4 and a 27.8 percent increase among children 5 to 9.
[ ... ]
The latest waste water data posted by the MWRA covered samples taken up until Monday. The numbers had been fluctuating for several months, but began rising on Sept. 21.
Andrew Lover, an assistant professor of epidemiology in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, said the uptick was concerning, but "we'll need another few sampling days to see if the trend continues before making any firm conclustions."
Waste water from 43 communities, including Boston, converges at the MWRA's Deer Island plant for treatment. The sewage is tested for traces of the deadly virus. The MWRA reports numbers for both the southern and northern sections of its system. The testing determines the number of SARS-CoV-2 RNA copies per milliliter of waste water.
The northern MWRA section saw five days of increases. The seven-day average count reached 1,016 copies/mL of the virus on Monday. The number had been as high as 1,273 on May 17 during a spring bump in infections. But it had been as low as around 100 in March during a lull after the winter's devastating Omicron surge.
In the southern section, the seven-day average count rose over the same five-day period, ending at 993 copies/mL on Monday. The number had gone as high as 1,332 on May 17. In March, it had dropped into the low 90s.
Will those jumps in wastewater levels translate into even higher case counts in the next few weeks? At this point, damned if I know. Every time I think I know where this pandemic (or is it now just an epidemic?) is going, it goes somewhere else.