After experiencing a 25 percent increase two weeks ago, the positive test rate in Beacon Hill and surrounding neighborhoods decreased by nearly 60 percent last week according to the latest data released by the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) on Friday.
Last week the BPHC reported that 32,056 Beacon Hill, Back Bay, North End, West End and Downtown residents were tested for COVID-19 and the data shows that 2.8 percent of those tested were COVID positive. This was a 59 percent decrease from the 6.9 percent testing positive as reported two weeks ago. The citywide positive test rate average was 5 percent–a 50 percent percent increase from the 10.2 percent that tested positive two weeks ago.
Overall since the pandemic began 3.4 percent of Beacon Hill, Back Bay, North End, West End and Downtown residents were found to be COVID positive.
At his daily press briefing Tuesday, Mayor Martin Walsh said that in the two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, Boston’s numbers went in the right direction.
“But, we expect to see an increase when the impact of Thanksgiving activity makes it into the testing data,” said Walsh.
He said the City will be monitoring that data closely as it comes in.
“In the meantime, we all have to do everything we can to prevent the virus from spreading, by taking our collective and individual precautions as seriously as ever,” said Walsh.
The infection rate in Beacon Hill and surrounding neighborhoods increased 10.6 percent in one week according to the latest city statistics.
The BPHC data released last Friday showed Beacon Hill, Back Bay, North End, West End and Downtown had an infection rate of 202.2 cases per 10,000 residents, up from 182.8 cases per 10,000 residents.
One Hundred eight additional residents became infected with the virus last week and the total number of cases in the area increased from 1,019 cases to 1,127 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 increased10 percent last week and went from 25,105 cases to 27,635 confirmed cases. Twenty more Boston residents died from the virus and there are now 919 total deaths in the city from COVID.