Last week the cumulative COVID-19 positive test rate in Eastie stayed the same while the weekly positive test rate increased after experiencing steady decreases since the New Year.
According to the latest data released by the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC), of the 36,247 Eastie residents tested for COVID since the pandemic began, 18.9 percent overall were found to be positive for the virus. This was the same percentage reported by the BPHC two weeks ago.
Last week, 1,892 Eastie residents were tested for the virus last week and 4.3 percent were positive–a 10.25 percent increase from the 3.9 percent reported by the BPHC two weeks ago.
Citywide, 27,597 residents were tested and 3.6 percent were COVID positive–this was the same positive test rate reported by the BPHC two weeks ago.
At his daily press briefing Monday Mayor Martin Walsh said that Boston’s numbers have stayed below the thresholds for concern for several weeks. The number of people hospitalized continues to go down, people are getting vaccinated every day and help is on the way from the Federal government.
While Walsh said there are many reasons to be hopeful the city is still not out of the woods yet. “Everyone has to stay focused so that we don’t slip backward,” said Walsh. “That means: wearing a mask with a good fit, washing hands with soap and warm water, avoiding gatherings, and getting tested frequently.”
The Mayor said that people who have been vaccinated should look at the CDC’s guidance on activities they can do safely, which is posted on CDC.gov.
As far as the St. Patrick’s Day holiday Walsh thanked the people of Boston for respecting public health guidance so far during the days leading up to the Irish Holiday and said that the City didn’t have many reports of big gatherings.
“City departments were out enforcing safety protocols at restaurants, and for the most part, everyone was in compliance,” said Walsh. “No emergency Licensing Board hearings were needed this morning (Monday). We need everyone to keep it up this coming week and weekend, too. As I said last week, having a party and potentially causing an outbreak, isn’t worth it. I thank everyone who continues to do their part.”
Eastie’s COVID infection rate increased by only 1 percent last week and went from 1,446.9 cases per 10,000 residents to 1,462.4 cases per 10,000 residents. The citywide average is 888.8 cases per 10,000 residents.
An additional 73 Eastie residents contracted the virus and there are now 6,863 confirmed cases, up from the 6,790 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 1.8 percent percent last week and went from 59,953 cases to 61,025 confirmed cases in a week. Twenty-seven additional Boston residents died from the virus last week and there are now 1,313 total deaths in the city from COVID