Charlestown’s Cumulative Positive Test Rate and Weekly Test Rate Increase

Last week both the cumulative COVID-19 positive test rate in Charlestown and the weekly positive test rate increased according to the latest data released on Friday by the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC).

According to the BPHC report, of the 12,519 Charlestown residents tested for the virus since the pandemic began 7.5 percent were found to be positive by last Friday. This was an increase of 10.3 percent from the 6.8 percent reported two Fridays ago.

Last week 1,177 residents were tested and 5.4 percent were positive. This was a 15 percent increase from the 4.7 that tested positive two Fridays ago,

Citywide, 37,455 residents were tested this week and 7.2 percent were found to be COVID positive last week.

At a press briefing Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Martin Walsh said an average of 5,351 people were tested each day. This number is down compared to the week before and does not include college testing.

The Mayor said positive test rates have gone down in every neighborhood, which is a good sign, but reported the  numbers with caution.

“While there has been some improvement in recent weeks, it’s still vital that everyone remains vigilant,” said Walsh. “We should all continue to wear our masks, avoid gatherings, and wash our hands and disinfect surfaces. We should think about the simple steps we can take on a daily basis to protect ourselves and our loved ones.”

The Mayor also gave an update on Boston’s reopening plans. In mid-December, he announced that Boston would temporarily pause our reopening, and move back into a modified Phase 2, Step 2. He said city officials anticipated an increase in cases around the holidays, so they took action to slow the spread, protect hospital capacity, and avoid a more severe shutdown later on.

“This pause was set to expire tomorrow, January 27, and we are extending this pause through the end of this month,” said Walsh.  “On Monday, February 1, Boston will move forward into Phase 3, Step 1. At that point, all businesses and activities that are allowed to operate in Phase 3, Step 1 can re-open, with capacity limits in place. Most businesses will still be subject to the 25% capacity limits the State extended through February 8. In addition, all gatherings and events remain subject to capacity limits of 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors, which applies to public and private spaces.”

For a list of sectors subject to the extended capacity restrictions, visit Mass.gov/Reopening.

The BPHC data released last Friday showed Charlestown’s infection rate increased 6.3 percent and went from 438.3 cases per 10,000 residents to 466.1 cases per 10,000 residents.

Fifty-four additional residents became infected with the virus last week bringing the total to 905 confirmed cases in the neighborhood.

The statistics released by the BPHC as part of its weekly COVID19 report breaks down the number of cases and infection rates in each neighborhood. It also breaks down the number of cases by age, gender and race.

Citywide positive cases of coronavirus increased 5.2 percent  percent last week and went from  49,137 cases to 51,718 confirmed cases in a week. Thirty-four Boston residents died from the virus last week and there are now 1,136  total deaths in the city from COVID.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.