These 3 Mass. counties have medium levels of COVID, CDC says – MassLive.com

As coronavirus cases continue to rise nationally, three Massachusetts counties now have medium levels of COVID-19, according to the federal government.

As of Friday, Berkshire, Middlesex and Suffolk counties have been designated as having medium COVID-19 community levels by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Designations are determined by looking at the number of hospital beds in use, hospital admissions and new coronavirus cases in an area, the CDC said.

According to data collected from April 7-13 and posted on the CDCs website, Berkshire, Middlesex and Suffolk counties seven-day average case rates were 220.90, 231.68 and 258.24 per 100,000 residents, respectively.

The communities in the three counties that had the highest case counts from March 27-April 9 were Boston in Suffolk County with 3,024 infections, Cambridge in Middlesex County with 1,138 and Pittsfield in Berkshire County with 151, data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Healths website showed. Looking at the 14-day average of cases, Cambridge had one of the highest infection rates with 72.6 cases per 100,000 residents, while Boston only had 31.2, and Pittsfield had 24.5.

A medium COVID-19 community level means residents in a county with this designation should stay up to date with coronavirus vaccines and get tested and wear a mask if they have symptoms, receive a positive test and/or are exposed to someone with the virus. Residents are also still required to wear masks on public transportation in Massachusetts.

You may choose to wear a mask at any time as an additional precaution to protect yourself and others, the CDC said. If you are at high risk for severe illness, consider wearing a mask indoors in public and taking additional precautions.

Massachusetts has seen a steady increase inCOVID-19 casesfor at least a month now. DPH reported 2,470 new cases of the virus Friday and 2,964 the day before, the highest single-day report in roughly two months. However, severe illness from the BA.2 subvariant,which the CDC estimatedmakes up more than 90% of new coronavirus cases in the Northeast, remains rare.

COVID-19 infections in the states public schools have also been increasing, rising for a fifth week in a row. Cases among students increased by nearly 44% as of Thursday, with 4,000 students testing positive for the virus from April 7-13, compared to 2,782 the week before. Infections among school staff also rose by 39%, with 1,363 staff members testing positive for the virus from April 7-13, compared to 984 the week before.

The number of coronavirus cases has been trending upward throughout the country as well. Toward the end of last month, the seven-day moving average of infections nationally reached its lowest of the year of 24,831 on March 29. As of Thursday, that number had climbed to 35,475. However, COVID-19-related hospital admission and deaths appear to be trending downward.

On Wednesday, the CDC announced it would be extending its nationwide mask mandate for planes, trains, buses and public transit hubs for two more weeks as it continues to monitor the spread of the Omicron variant and BA.2 subvariant. The federal agency noted that since early April, there have been increases in the seven-day moving average of cases in the U.S.

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These 3 Mass. counties have medium levels of COVID, CDC says - MassLive.com