187 MA Communities Considered High-Risk For COVID

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health released an updated list on Thursday detailing the number of coronavirus cases in cities and towns across the Commonwealth.

According to a story reported on by WHDH/News 7 Boston, in an attempt to guide schools and businesses through the state’s phased reopening plan, the colors were previously based on an area’s average virus rate out of 100,000 people.

However, many communities across the Bay State do not reach the 100,000 resident threshold. This prompted health officials to revamp the color-coding system based on population size and positivity rate.

The statewide average daily case rate is in the red zone this week at 65.1 per 100,000 residents with 63,445 new cases reported in the last 14 days.

One hundred and eighty-seven cities and towns now fall in the Department of Public Health’s highest-risk category for COVID-19 transmission under the state’s new guidelines. Up from the 158 that were reported last week.

The high-risk communities include some cities and towns in Berkshire County including Adams, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, and Pittsfield.

The Department of Public Health has begun releasing information on the number of cases and contacts associated with clusters of infection in certain settings including households, organized sports, retail settings, and social gatherings.

The average age of COVID-19 patients is 39, according to the report, with the 20 to 29-year-old age range reporting the highest amount of cases.

Since last week, 691 more college students have tested positive bringing the total number of cases associated with higher education to 5,376.

The report also states that 187,221 people have completed their quarantine to date and 61,181 are still undergoing theirs.

For more on this story, including the full list of communities that are considered high-risk for the coronavirus, please visit WHDH/News 7's website here and we thank them for the update.