The numbers of cases and rate of COVID-19 infections in Charlestown remains lower than most of the rest of Boston in the latest neighborhood statistics released by the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) on Friday evening, April 10.
The statistics were taken as of Thursday, April 9, at 4:12 p.m.
The infection rate in Charlestown moved from ‘similar’ to the rest of Boston to ‘lower’ than the rest of Boston in the newest figures – which show a total of 50 cases in the Town and an infection rate of 25.8 per 10,000 residents. The numbers of cases was up from 29 on April 2, and a rate of 14.9 per 10,000 residents.
Charlestown has the fewest confirmed cases of COVID-19 of any Boston neighborhood, but has a higher infection rate than Fenway (12.4/10K) and Downtown [North End, Back Bay, Beacon Hill] (23.2/10K).
Other areas of Boston grew much quicker over the past week than Charlestown, particularly in the South End where there has been a spike of cases in the homeless and drug dependent population, causing numbers there to jump to 78.9 per 10,000 residents and 282 confirmed cases. The South End rates were similar to some of the highest rates in the state, with it being just above the numbers for Lawrence – which had the second highest estimated rate in the state at 75 per 10,000. Chelsea was the hardest hit community with an estimated 106 cases per 10,000 people, according to hospital officials from Mass General and Beth Israel.
Though East Boston is only a stone’s throw across the Inner Harbor from Charlestown, it’s numbers of cases and rates of infection were much higher. There were 238 confirmed cases in Eastie and it had a rate of 50.7 per 10,000 residents – highlighting what many in the City administration are touting as societal inequities that are being spotlighted by the pandemic.
The second hardest hit neighborhood was Hyde Park, which had an infection rate of 66.6 per 10,000 and 228 cases.
In terms of the most cases, South Dorchester – one of the City’s largest neighborhoods by population – still had the most confirmed cases with 444.
Overall, the citywide infection rate was 41.9 per 10,000 with a total of 2,848 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There had been 35 deaths from COVID-19 in Boston and 339 people had recovered.
In another reversal of the trends, older adults above age 80 really began to show a much greater infection rate, climbing to 107.4 per 10,000 resident. It was a startling jump from one week ago when those 80 and over had a rate of 22.9 per 10,000. It is a true wake-up call for those older adults to be very careful and for younger people to show concern for keeping them safe by practicing social distancing.
There is a low percentage of Boston residents under 20 who have tested positive, and a low (26.2 per 10,000) infection rate among those 20-29. However, the numbers begin to climb for those reaching age 30, and then seem to level off for those ages 40-79 – all having rates between 60-76 per 10,000 people.
Nearly 30 percent of all COVID-19 cases were in persons age 60 and above, and rates are seen as increasing substantially with age – according to the BPHC.