With the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus running rampant across the U.S. and recent infections in Boston traced back to an outbreak in Provincetown over July 4th weekend, Beacon Hill and the surrounding areas have seen breakthrough infections among vaccinated people skyrocket.
While targeted vaccination efforts reduced positive cases among residents to almost non-existent levels a few months ago it seems the party is over as the weekly positive test rate continues to hover around 2.5 percent.
For three weeks the Beacon Hill, North End, Back Bay, West End and Downtown’s COVID cases have spiked most likely due to the Delta variant infecting unvaccinated and vaccinated people alike.
However, according to the weekly report released last Friday released by the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC), 1,591 Beacon Hill, North End, Back Bay, West End and Downtown residents were tested and 2.5 percent were positive. This was a 10 percent increase from the 2.8 percent of residents that tested positive on July 23.
Overall since the pandemic started 57,161 Beacon Hill, North End, Back Bay, West End and Downtown residents have been tested for COVID-19 and the data shows that 6.4 percent of those tested were COVID positive. This was the same percentage reported by the BPHC on July 23.
Citywide, the weekly positive test rate increased over 30 percent. According to the BPHC 15,872 residents were tested and 2.9 percent were COVID positive–this was a 32 percent increase from the 2.2 percent reported by the BPHC two weeks ago.
The BPHC data released last Friday showed Beacon Hill, North End, Back Bay, West End and Downtown had an infection rate of 653.7 cases per 10,000 residents–a 1.4 percent increase from the 644.9 cases per 10,000 residents reported on July 23.
Forty-nine additional residents have been infected with the virus between July 23 and July 30 and the total number of cases in the area increased to 3,643 cases overall since the pandemic began.
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 0.95 percent since July 23 and went from 71,846 cases to 72,529 confirmed cases in a week. Four additional Boston residents died from the virus in the past two weeks and there are now 1,400 total deaths in the city from COVID.