Berkshire One Of 7 Counties In Massachusetts At High COVID Risk

Man, is this pandemic EVER GOING TO END? In the latest go-round from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it seems that here in Western Massachusetts, Berkshire County and Franklin County are now both high-risk for COVID-19 transmission.

As COVID-19 cases start to rise again(the number of new coronavirus cases reported on Friday neared 4,000!), half of the 14 counties in the Bay State are among the 79 counties across the nation with a high level of transmission risk according to the CDC.

The CDC's COVID-19 Data Tracker reports that the seven counties in Massachusetts that are currently in the high-risk category are Barnstable, Berkshire, Franklin, Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk, and Worcester.

So far, the other Western Massachusetts counties, Hampden and Hampshire are considered medium risk for COVID-19 transmission. The CDC advises that residents living in counties that are at a high-risk COVID level should wear masks indoors and on public transport.

According to the latest trending data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Berkshire County is pretty high up there with 500 COVID cases per 100,000 residents. That is more than double Franklin County's 218 cases per 100,000 residents.

For neighboring states, a number of New York counties, including Albany County, are at high-risk for COVID transmission. Also, numerous counties in Vermont are at high-risk including Bennington and Rutland Counties. A couple in Connecticut, including New Haven and Hartford Counties, and for now, Grafton County in New Hampshire.

In addition to while indoors and on public transportation, the CDC also recommends you wear a mask if you have any COVID symptoms or are at high risk for serious illness. For more information on COVID numbers and to see what other counties are in the "high-risk" category, check out the CDC's COVID By County page here.