The Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) provided the following updates on the latest COVID-19 trends for the City of Boston:
Levels of COVID-19 virus in local wastewater are stable, decreasing by 2.8% over the last seven days, but have increased by 24.3% over the past 14 days and are now at 614 RNA copies/mL. (Data as of September 15).
New COVID-19 cases in Boston have increased by 8.5% over the past seven days and by 37.7% over the past 14 days. (Data as of September 19)
Note: this does not include at-home rapid testing results.
Boston has seen 155 new COVID-19 related hospitalizations in the past seven days, which is a 7.6% increase over the past seven days and a 24% increase over the last 14 days.
(Data as of September 22).
Community positivity is 7.5% as of September 19.
Suffolk county is now at medium community risk, according to the CDC.
“The upticks in our metrics across the board are a reminder that COVID-19 is still spreading throughout our communities and that people can still get very sick from this virus,” said Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Commissioner of Public Health and Executive Director of the Boston Public Health Commission. “I advise all residents to take the necessary precautions to stay safe by getting vaccinated or boosted now. Don’t wait for cases to increase further or when you plan on spending more time indoors with family to get up to date on your vaccines. As we head into the fall, there is a risk of serious illness, but we have the tools to protect ourselves—COVID vaccines, bivalent boosters, flu shots, and wearing masks in crowded indoor settings. It’s important to act now to stay safe for the fall and winter.”
BPHC urges all eligible residents to get the new Omicron-specific bivalent booster dose as soon as possible to broaden and strengthen their protection against the COVID-19 virus. This booster was approved by the FDA on September 1 and increases immunity against the original COVID-19 strain as well as the newer Omicron variants. Currently, bivalent boosters are approved only for individuals 12 years and older who have completed their primary series of an approved COVID-19 vaccines and have at least two months since their last primary or booster dose. Children ages 5-11 years old who received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine will continue to receive the existing, approved monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine booster dose. There are several opportunities to get vaccinated or boosted in Boston this weekend. To find a clinic near you, visit boston.gov/covid19-vaccine or vaxfinder.mass.gov.
Based on current trends, BPHC’s recommends the following COVID-19 prevention and mitigation methods:
Stay up to date on your COVID-19 vaccinations to reduce your risk of severe illness.
COVID-19 vaccines are recommended for everyone ages 6 months and older.
Booster doses are recommended for everyone ages 5 years and older.
Second booster dose are recommended for everyone ages 50 and older, as well as moderately to severely immunocompromised individuals who are 12 or older.