As COVID-19 cases spike once again in Boston the positive test-rate in Beacon Hill and surrounding neighborhoods are up once again according to the latest data released by the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC).
While Beacon Hill’s COVID-19 positive test rate was decreasing steadily for the past few weeks the numbers have once again jumped in the neighborhood and increased 5 percent last week, fulfilling the prophecy of health care experts that a citywide spike would occur.
Last week the BPHC reported that 27,172 Beacon Hill, North End, West End, Back Bay and Downtown residents were tested for COVID-19 and the data shows that 2.1 percent of those tested were COVID positive. This was a 5 percent increase from the 2 percent testing positive as reported two weeks ago. The citywide average was 6.2 percent, up nearly 9 percent from the 5.7 percent that tested positive two weeks ago.
Overall since the pandemic began 2.7 percent of Beacon Hill, North End, West End, Back Bay and Downtown residents were found to be COVID positive.
The infection rate in Beacon Hill and surrounding neighborhoods increased 3.65 percent in one week according to the latest city statistics.
The BPHC data released last Friday showed Beacon Hill, North End, West End, Back Bay and Downtown had an infection rate of 130.5 cases per 10,000 residents, up from 125.9 cases per 10,000 residents.
Twenty-four more residents became infected with the virus and the total number of cases in the area increased from 702 cases to 726 cases as of last Friday.
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 rose by 5.5 percent last week from 18,834 cases to
19,880 confirmed cases. So far 17,122 Boston residents have fully recovered from the virus. The total number of fatalities in the city remains at 777.