Weekly COVID Positive Test Rate Decreases Again in Eastie

Last week the cumulative COVID-19 positive test rate in Eastie went up slightly while the weekly positive test rate dropped for a third week in a row. 

According to the latest data released by the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC), of the 33,461 Eastie residents tested for COVID since the pandemic began, 18.7 percent overall were found to be positive for the virus, a 1.6 percent increase from the 18.4 percent reported two Fridays ago.

However, 2,501 Eastie residents were tested for the virus last week and 9.4 percent were positive–a three percent decrease from the 9.7 that tested positive two Fridays ago.  

Citywide, 34,780 residents were tested and 6.8 percent were COVID positive–a 5.5 percent decrease from the 7.2 percent testing positive two weeks ago. 

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 that 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 indoor 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. 

Eastie’s infection rate rose by 4 percent according to the data released by the BPHC last Friday. Eastie’s COVID infection rate went from 1,294.3 cases per 10,000 residents to 1,346.5 cases per 10,000 residents. The citywide average is 772.3 cases per 10,000 residents. 

An additional 245 Eastie residents contracted the virus and there are now 6,319 confirmed cases, up from the 6,074 reported two weeks ago. 

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 2.3 percent  percent last week and went from  51,506 cases to 52,704 confirmed cases in a week. Twenty additional Boston residents died from the virus last week and there are now 1,153 total deaths in the city from COVID. 

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