The number of Massachusetts communities at high risk for COVID spread has increased for the fourth consecutive week, according to the latest Department of Public Health risk assessments.
There are now 77 communities at the highest risk level for viral transmission, data show. The number of high-risk cities and towns last week was 55 after three weeks of increases.
However, some data suggest that the latest boom is slowing down. After three consecutive weeks of rising new COVID cases, they plunged last week, while hospitalizations, which also climbed again, moved daily between increasing increases and decreases. Other key statistics remain fluctuating or are flat.
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Here is a list of cities and towns at high risk by province:
Barnstable County: Barnstable, Brewster, Chatham, Dennis, Mashpee, Sandwich, Yarmouth
Berkshire County: Adams, Williamstown
Bristol County: Dighton, Fall River, Freetown, Mansfield, New Bedford, Raynham, Rehoboth, Seekonk, Somerset, Swansea, Taunton, Westport
Dukes County: Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury
Essex County: Hamilton, Lawrence, Lynn, Methuen, Peabody, Saugus, Wenham
Franklin County: Orange
Hampden County: Chicopee, East Longmeadow, Hampden, Holyoke, Ludlow, Monson, Palmer, Springfield, West Springfield
Hampshire County: Granby, Southampton, Ware
Middlesex County: Ayer, Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Everett, Framingham, Littleton, Lowell, Tyngsborough
Nantucket County: Nantucket
Norfolk County: Plainville
Plymouth County: Abington, Brockton, Carver, Halifax, Hanson, Hull, Lakeville, Middleborough, Plymouth, Wareham, West Bridgewater, Whitman
Suffolk County: Reversal
Worcester County: Athol, Blackstone, Hopedale, Milford, Paxton, Southborough, Sutton, West Boylston, Winchendon
Risk designations – which are colored, gray, green, yellow and red based on infection levels – are determined using various statistics for three population categories: communities with a population of less than 10,000; between 10,000 and 50,000; and more than 50,000.
For communities with less than 10,000 inhabitants, ‘gray’ is awarded if there are ten cases; “Green” if there are 15 cases; “Yellow” if there are up to 25 cases; and “red” if there are more than 25 cases.
For communities with between 10,000 and 50,000 inhabitants, ‘gray’ is awarded if there are ten cases or less; “Green” if there are less than 10 average cases per 100,000 inhabitants and more than 10 cases; “Yellow” if there are 10 or more cases per 100,000 inhabitants or a test positivity rate of 5% or more; and “red” if there are 10 or more cases per 100,000 inhabitants and a test positivity rate of 5% or more.
And for communities with more than 50,000 inhabitants, ‘gray’ will be awarded if there are a total of 15 cases; “Green” if there are less than 10 average cases per 100,000 inhabitants and more than 15 cases; “Yellow” if there are 10 or more cases per 100,000 inhabitants or a test positivity rate of 4% or more; and “red” if there are 10 or more cases per 100,000 inhabitants and a test positivity rate of 4% or more.
So far, 4,204,152 doses of COVID vaccine have been administered in Massachusetts, and 1,617,249 residents have now been fully vaccinated. More than five million doses were sent to Massachusetts as of Thursday.
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