Charlestown ‘Average’ in Reported COVID-19 Infections Rate Slightly Below Rest of Boston

The Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) reported last weekend a citywide review by neighborhood and age range of those infected by COVID-19, with Charlestown registering 29 cases and a 14.9 rate per 10,000 people as of April 2.

Since that time, data and rates might have changed, as numerous new infections have been reported across the City since neighborhood data was released. As of April 7, according to Boston Public Health Commission data, there are now 2,287 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 258 people recovered and 25 deaths.

For the April 2 data release, the citywide average rate was 18.1 per 10,000 people. South Dorchester had the most cases with 175, but only had a rate of 21.6. Hyde Park and East Boston had the highest concentration of cases, with 30.4 (104 cases) and 27.7 (130 cases).

The data was as of 1 p.m. on Thursday, April 2, and new neigh­borhood data is expected on April 10. (Check www.charlestown­bridge.com for complete updates through the week).

Charlestown was listed as “sim­ilar to the rest of Boston,” while areas like West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, Fenway, and Allston/Brighton were listed as “lower than the rest of Boston.”

In other places nearby, such as Revere and Chelsea – the numbers have really spiked. Revere, with a population of around 53,000 peo­ple reported 257 cases on April 6, while Chelsea reported 356 cases and eight deaths on April 7.

Many health professionals in the Town have been concerned about the potential surge in the rate in the neighborhood, as social distancing among adults has not been executed in a way they feel is responsible. So far, that concern hasn’t registered in the numbers, but time will tell as the outbreak hits its zenith on April 10-20.

Citywide, on April 2, there were 1,116 active cases on April 2, with 106 people having recovered. There were 10 deaths citywide as well. That equaled a total of 1,232 confirmed cases in Boston. Of all those active cases, 96 have been hospitalized. There were also many residents showing up at the Emergency Room with COVID Like Illness (CLI). That has been transformed into a statistic known as CLI and of all ER visits, 9.1 percent were for those with CLI. That was up from 7.4 percent in the week prior (March 20-26).

In Boston overall, it appears that men have a higher incidence of infection (18.7) that women (17.4) at this point, with that over­all rate in Boston being 18.1.

The age ranges have been changing in the last week, with age 0-19 registering hardly any con­firmed cases (0.9 rate). The high­est rates have migrated to those in middle age, with those 40-49 hav­ing a rate of 28.2 and those 50-59 with a rate of 28.3. While those 20-29 initially showed compara­ble numbers, they are now on the lower end of the spectrum with a rate of 15.4 – that compared to those just above them ages 30-39, whose rate is much higher at 24.0.

For the most part, older adults have stayed steady in their rates, which are higher than the overall citywide average, but lower than those in middle age. (70-79 had a rate of 23.6 and 80-plus were 22.9).

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